Krittika

Authors: Susanne M Hoffmann, Shylaja, Youla Azkarrula

---

Pleiades (CC BY Kevin Gill from Los Angeles, CA, United States)

Krittika, 3rd nakshatra, in Tirupperunthurai (Athmanathaswamy temple) near Aranthangi, India, 10th century CE. (SMH 2025).

Krttika and Rohini mapped to the stars, animated GIF, WGSN 2025.

Kṛttika (Krittika) is an Indian name, used by the Indian Vedic tradition. Most of these names are roughly 3000 years old. They pre-date Hinduism but were taken over by it.

Etymology and History

Name Variants

• Agni,
• Agnidaiva
• Hutabhuk

Origin of Constellation

Krttika is depicted as a group of six stars that form a cloudy asterism. The star lore associates the cluster of six stars with a group of seven damsels. They are personified as the nurses of Kārttikeya, a son of Shiva.

Stars within the Constellation Area

id	Label	IAU design.	description	Vmag
1	Alcyone	HIP 17702	Inside the hull	2.87
2	Atlas	HIP 17847	Constellation lines (Vertex)	3.63
3	Electra	HIP 17499	Constellation lines (Vertex)	3.7
4	Maia	HIP 17573	Inside the hull	3.87
5	Merope	HIP 17608	Constellation lines (Vertex)	4.18
6	Pleione	HIP 17851	Constellation lines (Vertex)	5.09
7	Celaeno	HIP 17489	Constellation lines (Vertex)	5.46
8	Asterope	HIP 17579	Constellation lines (Vertex)	5.76
9	* 24 Tau	HD 23629	Inside the hull	6.28
10	Sterope II	HIP 17588	Inside the hull	6.421

Transfer and Transformation of the Constellation

• 
  Krittika 10th century CE
• 
  Display of all 28th nakshatras in silver arch with candles in Tirupperunthurai (Athmanathaswamy temple) near Aranthangi, India, 10th century CE. (SMH 2025).
• 
  Display of all 28th nakshatras in a door frame in Tirupperunthurai (Athmanathaswamy temple) near Aranthangi, India, 10th century CE. (SMH 2025).
• 
  Krittika - Tibetean
• 
  Krittika - Chinese
• 
  Krittika as reonstructed by Jones (1720)

Religion/ Mythology

In Indian star lore, Kṛttika are the six sisters who are the nurses of the god Subramanya, a god of war and commander of the gods against the demons who was begotten by a god without a woman. According to Taittiriya Samhita, 4. 4. 5, the names of the stars are

अम्बा दुला नितनिरभ्रयन्ती मेघयन्ती वर्षयन्ती चुपुणीका

Ambā, Dulā, Nitatni, Abhrayanti, Meghayanti, Varşayanti and Cupuņikā.

References

• References (general)