There has been lot of debate among astrologer sover the zodiacal sign of India since many decades. Later Shri B.V. Raman use to take Virgo (Kanya) as the zodiacal sign of India though astrologers in North had always taken Capricorn (Makar) for our country. The astrologers who take Capricorn (Makar) as the zodiacal sign of India claims that the Acharya Varahamihira had allocated this sign for ancient ‘Bharata’. But there is no Sansktrit stanza to support their words. The Bhrihat Samhita of Varahamihira doesn’t have any Sloka that says Makar is the zodiacal sign of India. Then a question arises, why senior astrologers in North India have been using Makar (Capricorn) as the zodiacal sign of country for the purpose of Mundane predictions since many decades ?
Similarly the astrologers in South takes the zodiacal sign of India as Virgo (Kanya) but they don’t know the logic behind it. As per my humble knowledge the ‘Koorma Chakra’ easily explain the reasoning behind North Indian astrologers following Makar and South Indian astrologer taking Kanya as the zodiacal sign of India. If you notice the ‘Koorma Chakra’ composition then you will find that Hasta and Chitra Nakshatra in Virgo (Kanya) rashi comes under the south direction. In the North-West the Uttara-ashada, Sravana and Dhanishta Nakshatra are located which comes under the Capricorn (Makar) rashi. Thus the south direction in Koorma Chakra is signified by Virgo (Kanya) rashi and the North-West is denoted by Capricorn (Makar) rashi. This could be the reason for which the astrologers in North and North-West part of the country had been using Capricorn (Makar) and the astrologers in South taking Virgo (Kanya) as the zodiacal sign of the country. The Koorma Chakar has been explained in ‘Vishnu-Purana’ and ‘Bhriat Samhita’ both. But one thing we should remember that places mention in the Koorma Chakra division in Vishnu-Purana and Bhriat Samhita were ancient names of the cities and countries known to Hindu’s during that era which has to be modified as per the modern history of the nations.