Pitru Paksha 2026 in Bahrain: Sep 27 – Oct 10 — Puja Time by City

Related days (Manama)

Other cities may differ by a day; open the festival's own page for city-wise dates.

How the Pitru Paksha (Shraddha) date is decided

Pitru Paksha runs from the Purnima/Pratipada of Bhadrapada-Ashwina Krishna to Amavasya. Sarva Pitru Amavasya is the day on which Amavasya covers more of the afternoon (Aparahna, the time for Shraddha); Shraddha is done in Kutup Muhurat.

Significance

The doctrine of debts: three debts rest on a person — to the gods, the sages and the ancestors; the ancestral debt is repaid through the line of descendants and shraddha; the Garuda/Markandeya Purana and Manusmriti prescribe the shraddha — 'from the satisfaction of the ancestors come long life, children, wealth, learning, heaven'; not performing the shraddha is believed to bring pitru dosha (combinations of the Sun with Rahu/Ketu/Saturn in the chart) — obstacles to children, illness, discord; Pitru Paksha is the best period for its pacification.

The time of the shraddha: the afternoon (12-1:30 — the Kutup and Rauhina muhurats, Aparahna above) is best; the direction south (the ancestors' direction), the sacred thread on the right shoulder (apasavya), sesame-kusha-water, balls of rice-barley-sesame; the crow is Yama's messenger, the cow, dog, ant and the gods — the panch-bali (five morsels) is part of the shraddha; feeding a Brahmin/the daughter and son-in-law/the nephew = feeding the ancestors.

Gaya (Bihar) — pind-daan at Vishnupad is the greatest pilgrimage of Pitru Paksha (the Pitrupaksha Mela, 17 days), then Haridwar (Narayani Shila), Prayag, Kashi (Pishach Mochan), Siddhpur (Gujarat — the Matru Gaya), Badrinath (Brahma Kapal), Rameswaram, Nashik-Trimbak (Panchavati), Pushkar, Lohargal; in Bengal the Mahalaya Amavasya is 'Mahalaya' — the arrival of Durga (the radio 'Mahishasura Mardini'), tarpan on the Ganga ghats.

Puja vidhi (brief)

1. The start of the paksha (Purnima/Pratipada): cleaning the house, the ancestors' picture/place in the south — water, lamp, flowers, Tulsi; sankalp — 'the shraddha and tarpan of the ancestors of (name) gotra in this Pitru Paksha'; tarpan every morning through the paksha (if possible) — water, sesame and kusha in a copper pot, facing south, water released over the thumb side (the pitru tirtha), '(name) gotra (ancestor's name) tripyatam' three times.
2. The tithi shraddha (on the ancestor's death tithi): bathe in the morning, the men of the house (son/grandson — if none, the daughter/wife may perform it, FAQ below) facing south; invoking the ancestors — a kusha seat, sesame-water-barley; padya and arghya to the Brahmin (or the ancestors' symbol); pind-daan — 3 (or 1) balls of cooked rice-barley-sesame-ghee-honey — father, grandfather, great-grandfather; a reading of the Pitru Sukta/Gajendra Moksha/Gita chapter 7.
3. Panch-bali (five morsels): five morsels of the shraddha meal on leaves — the cow (go-bali), the dog (shwan), the crow (kaka — place it on the roof/in the open, if the crow comes the ancestors are satisfied), the ant (pipilika — flour and sugar), the gods (Agni — a share of ghee and food); these first, then the Brahmin, then the family.
4. Feeding Brahmins: the shraddha meal (kheer-poori-sabzi-the ancestor's favourite) for 1-3 Brahmins (or the daughter and son-in-law/nephew/sister — equal to the ancestors), dakshina, the gift of clothes-umbrella-footwear-grain; silence while serving, no fanning (some customs), the farewell with sesame-water after the meal — 'Pitarah priyantam'.
5. Women: the shraddha meal cooked after bathing, in silence, without tasting (the ancestors first); no garlic-onion-masoor-brinjal; Tulsi and banana leaves; on the death tithi of the mother-in-law/mother/grandmother or on Matri Navami, a meal and suhag items for a married Brahmin woman/the daughter.
6. Sarva Pitru Amavasya (Mahalaya): the shraddha and tarpan for those whose tithi is unknown, all ancestors, married daughters, gurus, friends, those who died untimely — for all; pind-daan in the afternoon, panch-bali, feeding Brahmins, charity (grain-clothes-umbrella-footwear-cow); a lamp in the south in the evening — the farewell of the ancestors 'punaragamanaya'; from Pratipada the next day the Navratri — the ghatasthapana.
7. Pacifying pitru dosha: water, milk and sesame at a peepal on the Amavasya, 'Om Pitribhyah Namah' 108 times, Gita 7/the Pitru Sukta, daily morsels for the cow, dog and crow, feeding the poor; a vow of the Gaya shraddha (as means allow); whether or not the chart has the dosha — the shraddha of Pitru Paksha is for everyone.
8. Through the paksha: no weddings, engagements, housewarming or new purchases (jewellery-vehicle-house — folk custom; in the scriptures only auspicious sanskaras are forbidden); no cutting hair, nails or beard (men — many homes), celibacy, sattvic food, remembrance of the ancestors, charity.

Frequently asked questions

Is Pitru Paksha (Shraddha) 2026 on the same day in Bahrain and India?

Yes — Saturday, October 10, 2026.

What is the puja time for Pitru Paksha (Shraddha) 2026 in Manama?

Kutup Muhurat (Shraddha): 11:01 AM to 11:48 AM (AST). Other cities are in the table above.

Which time zone are these timings in?

Each row is in that city's own local time (Arabia Standard Time (AST) for Manama).

On which tithi to perform the shraddha if the death tithi is unknown?

On Sarva Pitru Amavasya (Mahalaya) — for all ancestors, unknown tithis, married daughters, untimely deaths (accidents — Chaturdashi too), gurus, friends, everyone; for married women on Matri Navami too; if the tithi is known, on that day and the sarva shraddha on the Amavasya as well.

Can a woman/daughter perform the shraddha?

Yes — if there is no son, the wife, daughter, granddaughter, daughter-in-law, brother or nephew may perform it (the Dharma Sindhu/Garuda Purana for those without sons); Sita performed Dasharatha's pind-daan at Gaya; modern priests conduct pind-daan for daughters at Gaya; faith is what matters, not gender.

Why no new purchases/auspicious work in Pitru Paksha?

In the scriptures only auspicious sanskaras (weddings-mundan-sacred thread-housewarming) are forbidden — because this is the ancestors' time, not one of celebration; the ban on new purchases (jewellery-vehicle-house) is folk custom — some priests say the ancestors give blessings and a purchase is auspicious; follow your household custom; everything opens from the Navratri.

What if the crow does not come?

The crow is Yama's messenger, its taking of the morsel satisfies the ancestors — folk belief; if it does not come, place the morsel on the roof/in the open and wait, 'Kakaya Namah' — then give it to the cow/dog; in the scriptures the spirit of the panch-bali is 'food for all beings' — if no crow, a sparrow/any bird; the ancestors are not displeased, faith is what is seen.

Daily panchang in Bahrain

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