Gulika Kaal (Gulikai Kalam)
Gulika Kaal is a daily period of about 90 minutes, one-eighth of the daytime, ruled by Gulika, the son of Saturn. Most panchangs list it as inauspicious, though Tamil and Kerala custom treats it differently.
Also known as: Kuligai, Gulika Kalam
As with Rahu Kaal, the daytime from sunrise to sunset is divided into eight equal parts. Gulika Kaal is the part that falls to Saturn in the weekday sequence: the 1st on Saturday, 2nd on Friday, 3rd on Thursday, 4th on Wednesday, 5th on Tuesday, 6th on Monday and 7th on Sunday. Its ruler, Gulika, is a shadow point described as Saturn’s son.
North Indian panchangs generally place Gulika Kaal among the inauspicious timings and avoid it for important beginnings. In Tamil Nadu and Kerala, Gulikai is believed to make whatever begins in it happen again, so families welcome it for things they would happily repeat, such as buying gold or property, and avoid it for anything they would not.
Gulika in a birth chart, a sensitive point built on the same idea, is a separate topic. In the daily panchang, Gulika Kaal is simply a time window, best read alongside Rahu Kaal and Yamaganda.