Indian astrology is Vedic in origin and the oldest system of astrology in the world. It is referred to as the Jyotisha or the Hindu system of astrology which has a holistic approach to living and to spiritual practice within the lives of the Hindus. It is an instrumental element of the Rig Veda – the oldest surviving scriptures in the world and the main scriptural texts of Hinduism. The present Indian astrology has traces of Hellenistic astrology that was passed on probably during the Greek invasions of Alexander the Great which was merged along with Babylonian astrology. The system used in Indian astrology is very different from that used by western astrologers. It is primarily based on date, place and time of birth.
According to Jyotisha, the planets or "grahas" are believed to seize or act upon created beings and influence their actions and life. Vedic astrology has been divided into three main branches - Siddhanta (Astronomy), Samhita (Mundane astrology) and Hora (Predictive astrology).
Siddhanta deals with astronomy and its application to astrology. The second branch i.e. Samhita predicts important events related to countries such as war, earth quakes, political events, astro - meteorology, financial positions, electional astrology; house and construction related matters (Vaastu Shaastra), animals, portents and omens. Hora or predictive astrology deals with prediction based on individual horoscope or Jataak.