In a nod to stars over science, Lucknow University opens Jyotish centre to public
Jyotish Paramarsh Kendra to offer paid consultations on career, marriage, health, finances and Vastu

At a time when modern problems of environment and climate change reassert the need to promote scientific temper, Lucknow University is set to throw open its Jyotish Paramarsh Kendra (astrology counselling centre) to the general public.
The centre is offering a wide menu of paid astrological services — from career planning and health guidance to marriage, investments and property matters — officials said on Saturday.
The initiative, approved by the university administration, aims to provide what officials describe as a “structured and regulated” platform for astrological consultations within an academic institution, complete with documentation, fixed time slots and official receipts — features often missing from informal astrology practices outside campuses.
Each consultation will last at least 15 minutes and will be based on birth charts, with fees starting at Rs 1,500 per session. Shorter consultations, including advice on foreign travel prospects, social status, prestige and political career analysis, will be available at Rs 500 for 15 minutes, officials said.
Hora astrology and palmistry sessions will be offered for 30 minutes at Rs 700, while numerology-based counselling will cost Rs 1,700. Specialised services — such as assessing the impact of tantra-mantra practices and interpreting omens and dreams — will be available for 30 minutes at Rs 1,900. Horoscope matching, including manglik analysis, has been priced at Rs 1,500.
The centre will also prepare horoscopes on demand. A short horoscope will be delivered within three days for Rs 500, a medium horoscope with lagna and chandra charts within seven days for Rs 1,100, and a detailed horoscope analysis within 15 days for Rs 3,100. A computerised horoscope with shadvarga analysis will be available within a day for Rs 1,100.
Vastu consultancy services will be charged at Rs 5 per square foot for residential properties and Rs 15 per square foot for commercial properties, subject to submission of site maps with clear directional details.
Shyamlesh Kumar Tiwari, coordinator of the Jyotir Vigyan department, said the framework of services and charges has been approved and the centre will be upgraded before opening consultations to the public. “All consultations will be conducted strictly as per university norms and financial rules,” he said.
The university has been running academic courses in Jyotir Vigyan since 18 October 2001, offering graduate and MA programmes in Hindi, English and Sanskrit. The Jyotish Paramarsh Kendra, which began operations in August and so far catered only to students and staff, will now extend its services beyond the campus.
University staff, students and their family members will receive a 15 per cent concession on consultancy charges.
While the government continues to emphasise rationality and evidence-based thinking in public discourse, the expansion of astrology services within a public university campus suggests that faith in planetary alignments remains well-funded, officially receipted and firmly institutionalised.
