Chitra nakshatra
Chitra is the 14th nakshatra, spanning 23°20′ Virgo to 6°40′ Libra. Ruled by Mars with Vishvakarma, the divine architect, as its deity, its symbol is a bright jewel: a soft star of beauty and design.
Also known as: Chithirai, Chithira, Chitta, Spica, Chitra star
Chitra means ‘bright’ or ‘beautiful’, and its star is Spica, one of the brightest in the sky. Its symbol is a shining jewel or pearl, and its deity is Vishvakarma (Tvashtar), architect and craftsman of the gods. The first two padas lie in Virgo and the last two in Libra.
Chitra is one of the four soft (mridu) nakshatras, favoured for the arts, design, new clothes and jewellery, and for griha pravesh. Ruled by Mars, it begins life in Mars’s seven-year dasha. Chaitra, the first month of the lunar year, is named after it.
Its padas give the name syllables Pe, Po, Ra and Ri. Spica also anchors the Lahiri ayanamsa used by mainstream Indian panchangs: the sidereal zodiac is set so that this star sits almost exactly at 0° Libra, opposite the start of Aries. That is why Lahiri is also called the Chitrapaksha ayanamsa.