🌑 Amavasya (ancestor tarpan, bath and charity) 2026

When is the next Amavasya — the ancestors' tarpan, a holy bath, charity and peepal worship on the new-moon day of every month; Somvati Amavasya (Monday) and Shani Amavasya (Saturday) special; Mauni/Sarva Pitru/Diwali/Hariyali Amavasya on their own pages; the next 12 dates above.

Amavasya is the last tithi of the Krishna Paksha of every lunar month, when the Moon is not seen — 12 in a year (13 in a year with an Adhika month). It is the day of the ancestors — tarpan (water and sesame), pind-daan, feeding Brahmins, morsels for the cow, crow and dog; the day of the holy bath and charity, and of worshipping the peepal, Tulsi, Shani and Kali. It is said the ancestors come to the door on Amavasya — hence women of the house make kheer-poori and offer it to the ancestors on this day, and many homes eat saltless/sattvic food.

The weekday gives it a separate importance — on Monday **Somvati Amavasya** (the peepal-circumambulation vrat of married women — 1-3 a year), on Saturday **Shanishchari Amavasya** (pacifying Saturn — Shani temples, the gift of oil), on Tuesday Bhaumvati. The Mauni of Magha, the Sarva Pitru (Mahalaya) of Ashwin, the Diwali of Kartika, the Hariyali of Shravana, the Vat Savitri of Jyeshtha, the Kushagrahani (Pithori) of Bhadrapada are big festivals — on their own pages. Above are the date of the next Amavasya, the tithi window, the shraddha muhurats (Kutup/Aparahna) and the next 12 dates with weekday names; below the vidhi, samagri, katha, food and regional customs.

Significance — why this vrat

The ancestors' day: Garuda Purana/Manusmriti — on Amavasya the ancestors come in the form of wind to the doors of their descendants and wait for the tarpan; the Amavasya tarpan/shraddha is the monthly remedy for pitru dosha (the Sun with Rahu/Saturn in the chart); the Darsha shraddha (the Amavasya shraddha) is the most important after Pitru Paksha.

A moonless day — the mind (Moon) is weak, hence auspicious work (weddings, journeys, new beginnings) is postponed, but it is the best time for japa, austerity, charity, meditation (Mauni) and tantric/Kali sadhana; the peepal circumambulation on Somvati (Moon's day + Amavasya) brings marital fortune and children; pacifying Saturn on Shanishchari (sade sati-dhaiya), the crowds at Shani temples (Shingnapur-Kokilavan-Tirunallar).

The holy bath: the Amavasya bath in the Ganga-Narmada-Godavari-Sangam (Magha-Kartika-Vaishakha special), then charity — grain, clothes, sesame, water, a cow; water and a lamp for the peepal (Vishnu's abode) and Tulsi; in some regions no ploughing on Amavasya (rest for farming, a holiday for the bullocks — Bail Pola on Bhadrapada Amavasya).

Puja vidhi (step by step)

This is the household vidhi of the monthly Amavasya — the morning bath and tarpan, charity, peepal worship, the evening lamp; the special customs of Somvati and Shanishchari alongside.

1. Morning: bathe in the Brahma muhurat/at sunrise (river/tirtha or water with Gangajal and sesame at home); the Sun arghya; sankalp — 'the Amavasya bath, charity and tarpan, for the satisfaction of the ancestors'; many homes keep silence for a few hours (like Mauni).
2. Tarpan (the men of the house/a woman if there are none): water, black sesame and kusha in a copper pot, facing south, water to the ancestors over the thumb side — '(gotra) (name) tripyatam' 3 times, father-grandfather-great-grandfather and the mother's side; the sacred thread on the right shoulder (apasavya); the Pitru Sukta/Gita 7; if you do not know the tarpan, just water and sesame towards the south with 'Sarve pitarah tripyantam'.
3. The Darsha shraddha (if possible): the offering of pind/kheer-poori in Aparahna/Kutup (time above), the panch-bali (cow-dog-crow-ant-gods), a meal and dakshina for a Brahmin/the daughter and son-in-law; if not possible, kheer-roti for the cow and crow and food for the poor.
4. Charity: grain (rice-wheat), sesame, clothes, water vessel, umbrella-footwear (by season), cow fodder; on Shanishchari black sesame-urad-mustard oil-iron-black cloth; on Somvati suhag items and white things; on Bhaumvati jaggery-masoor.
5. Peepal and Tulsi: water, milk and sesame for the peepal, a lamp, 108/7 circumambulations (married women 108 times on Somvati winding thread — offering fruit, sweets and coins, the katha); water and a lamp for the Tulsi (plucking Tulsi on Amavasya is forbidden); a Shani temple (Shanishchari) — an oil lamp, 'Om Sham Shanaishcharaya Namah', the Hanuman Chalisa.
6. Evening: a sesame-oil lamp in the south at home (for the ancestors), a lamp at the main door, Kali/Durga puja (some traditions — Diwali/Kaushiki Amavasya); the Shiva abhishek (Chandra dosha); a sattvic meal, many homes without salt.
7. Vrat: fruit all day/one meal (special on Somvati-Shanishchari); not waterless; the elderly and unwell a normal sattvic meal.
8. Women: Somvati Amavasya — the peepal circumambulation vrat (katha below), the long life of husband and children; no tarpan or puja during menstruation (remembrance and charity); a new bride's first Somvati by the custom of her parental/marital home.

Puja samagri checklist

The tarpan items + charity + peepal worship + the weekday specials — the Amavasya list.

• Tarpan: copper pot/thali, water, Gangajal, black sesame, kusha (seat-pavitri), barley, a seat facing south, sacred thread
• Shraddha (if possible): kheer-poori/pind materials (rice-barley-sesame-ghee-honey), 5 leaves (panch-bali), flowers (white), incense-lamp (sesame oil), paan-supari, dakshina
• Charity: grain, sesame, clothes, water vessel, umbrella/blanket, cow fodder; Shanishchari: black sesame-urad-mustard oil-iron-black cloth; Somvati: suhag items, white things; Bhaumvati: jaggery-masoor
• Peepal worship: water-milk-sesame, raw thread (108 circumambulations — Somvati), fruit-sweets-coins, lamp, roli-akshat
• Tulsi lamp, the Shiva abhishek (water-milk-bel leaves), the Shani lamp (oil), the Hanuman Chalisa
• Evening: a sesame-oil lamp (south), the door lamp; Kali/Durga puja (some traditions)
• Food: kheer-poori (for the ancestors), sattvic (without salt — some homes), fruit
• Books: the Pitru Sukta/Gita 7/the Somvati katha/the Shani stotra

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Vrat katha (the story)

The katha of Somvati Amavasya (the peepal circumambulation): a washerwoman blessed the youngest of a merchant's seven daughters-in-law 'may you always remain a married woman'; the daughter-in-law asked how — the washerwoman said 'on Somvati Amavasya circumambulate the peepal 108 times winding thread, then eat — that is how my marital fortune stays unbroken'; the daughter-in-law did so, and her husband was saved from snakebite/death (elsewhere: the widowhood yoga in a daughter's chart was cut by the Somvati vrat — the tale of Sona the washerwoman). The lesson — the peepal circumambulation on Somvati protects marital fortune and children.

Amavasya and the ancestors: Karna received 16 days for the ancestors' tarpan (Pitru Paksha), and in the Mahabharata Bhishma said Amavasya is the ancestors' tithi — 'on this day the ancestors come to the doors of their descendants, are satisfied with water and sesame and give blessings; if they return empty, a curse'; hence the tarpan on every Amavasya (Darsha). The descent of the Ganga, the churning of the ocean (Mauni) and Rama's return to Ayodhya (Kartika) also fell on an Amavasya — hence Amavasya is neither auspicious nor inauspicious, it is the day of the ancestors and gods.

Shanishchari Amavasya: Shani was born on Jyeshtha Amavasya (Shani Jayanti) — at odds with his father the Sun, but the god of Shiva devotion and justice; on Saturday + Amavasya the oil abhishek at Shani temples (Shingnapur-Tirunallar-Kokilavan), the peepal lamp and Hanuman worship lessen the pain of sade sati-dhaiya — folk belief; Shani is the giver of the fruit of karma, pleased by charity and service.

Kheer-poori (for the ancestors), sattvic food, sesame-jaggery — the Amavasya kitchen

On Amavasya kheer-poori (or their favourite) for the ancestors — first morsels for the cow, crow and dog, then a Brahmin/the poor, then the family; the meal sattvic — no onion-garlic-meat-liquor, many homes without salt/one meal; sesame-jaggery (Shanishchari), white kheer (Somvati); a plain meal after the Amavasai tarpan in the south.

• Kheer (rice-milk) + poori — the ancestors' bhog; pumpkin/bottle-gourd sabzi, urad dal vadas, kadhi (the shraddha custom)
• The panch-bali morsels: cow-dog-crow (kheer-roti), ant (flour-sugar), gods (ghee); a meal for a Brahmin/the daughter and son-in-law
• Somvati: white things — kheer, milk-rice, mishri; fruit and sweets for the peepal; the vrat paran after the peepal circumambulation
• Shanishchari: sesame-jaggery laddoos, urad khichdi (charity and meal), mustard oil; Bhaumvati: jaggery-gram
• Fasting fare: fruit, milk, sabudana; a saltless meal (some homes) — bottle gourd-curd-kheer
• Regional: Maharashtra (Pola — Bhadrapada Amavasya) puran poli, for the bullocks; Tamil (Amavasai) — vada-payasam after the tarpan; Bengal (Kaushiki/Deepanvita) — the Kali bhog khichuri; Gujarat (Diwali Amas) — sweets; Punjab (Massya) — langar kadhi-rice

Regional customs

The Massya of Punjab, the Amavasai tarpan of the Tamils, the Pola of Maharashtra, the Kaushiki of Bengal, the Somvati peepal of the north — the customs of the moonless day.

Do's and don'ts

Frequently asked questions

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Also read: Pitru Paksha and Sarva Pitru Amavasya · Mauni Amavasya (Magha) · Diwali (Kartika Amavasya) · Purnima vrat

⚠️ This description follows traditional vidhi and folk belief; the custom of your family, gotra tradition and priest comes first. Dates are by the sunrise tithi of Delhi — match your city's panchang; pitru dosha/Shani remedies are astrological beliefs.

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