🪷 Pitru Paksha (Shraddha) and Sarva Pitru Amavasya 2026

16 days from Bhadrapada Purnima to Ashwin Amavasya — shraddha, tarpan and pind-daan for the ancestors; the shraddha on the tithi of death; for all on Sarva Pitru Amavasya (Mahalaya); food for the crow, cow and dog, feeding Brahmins; the Gaya shraddha.

Pitru Paksha (Mahalaya/Shraddha Paksha/Kanagat) is the 16 days from Bhadrapada Shukla Purnima (the day after Anant Chaturdashi) to Ashwin Krishna Amavasya — just before the Sharadiya Navratri. In these days the pitrs (departed ancestors — parents, grandparents, maternal grandparents, three generations) come from the ancestral realm to the earth and expect from their descendants the shraddha (an offering made with shraddha, faith) — tarpan (water and sesame), pind-daan (balls of rice and barley), feeding Brahmins, food for the crow, cow and dog.

The rule: the shraddha of an ancestor is performed on the tithi of Pitru Paksha (Pratipada…Chaturdashi) matching the tithi of their death (in either paksha); for married women on Navami (Matri Navami), for renunciates on Dwadashi, for deaths by weapons/accident on Chaturdashi, and for those whose tithi is unknown/for all — on Sarva Pitru Amavasya (Mahalaya Amavasya); this year's Amavasya and the start of the paksha are above. Women of the house cook the shraddha meal (kheer-poori, the ancestors' favourite things), the first morsel for the crow, cow and dog, a meal for Brahmins/the daughter and son-in-law; no auspicious work through the paksha. Below are the vidhi, samagri, katha, the shraddha meal and regional customs.

Significance — why this vrat

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 (step by step)

This is the household vidhi — the simple home form of the tithi shraddha (tarpan, panch-bali, feeding Brahmins), the Sarva Pitru shraddha of the Amavasya; the full vidhi with a priest if available.

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.

Puja samagri checklist

Kusha, sesame, barley, a copper pot, the pind materials, the shraddha meal, charity — the Pitru Paksha list.

• Kusha grass (seat and ring — pavitri), black sesame, barley, copper pot/thali, water, Gangajal, a seat facing south
• Pind: cooked rice/barley flour, sesame, ghee, honey, milk, jaggery — 3 balls (father-grandfather-great-grandfather) or 1 for all ancestors
• The ancestors' picture/place, lamp (mustard/sesame oil), flowers (white — jasmine/lotus, not red), Tulsi, sandalwood, incense
• The shraddha meal: kheer (rice-milk), poori, pumpkin/ridge gourd/arbi sabzi, chana/urad dal (by tithi), kadhi, raita, the ancestor's favourite; banana leaves/leaf plates
• Panch-bali: 5 leaves (cow-dog-crow-ant-gods), flour and sugar (ant), ghee
• Brahmin dakshina, charity: grain (rice-wheat), clothes (dhoti-sari), umbrella, footwear, utensils, sesame-jaggery, cow fodder; black sesame and iron for Yama's pleasure (some customs)
• Sacred thread (for apasavya), the Pitru Sukta/Gita/Garuda Purana (shraddha chapter), a simple shraddha book if there is no priest
• Peepal service: water-milk-sesame, lamp; materials for the vow of the Gaya shraddha (if possible)

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Vrat katha (the story)

The tale of Karna: after death the generous Karna reached heaven — there he was given gold, silver and jewels as food, not grain; when he asked, Indra said 'all your life you gave gold, but never food and water to your ancestors — hence no grain'; Karna was granted 16 days to return to earth — he performed the shraddha and tarpan of his ancestors and gave food and water — those 16 days came to be called Pitru Paksha (Mahalaya). The lesson — the gift of food and water and the satisfaction of the ancestors is greater than gold.

Garuda Purana (Preta Kalpa): Vishnu tells Garuda — the ancestors of one who performs the shraddha, satisfied, bless him with long life, children, wealth, learning and heaven; the ancestors of one who does not, return hungry and thirsty with a curse — 'in Pitru Paksha the ancestors come to the door in the form of wind and wait for the shraddha until sunset'. In the Ramayana Rama, Sita and Lakshmana performed Dasharatha's pind-daan at Gaya — Sita offered a ball of Phalgu sand and Dasharatha appeared; the witnesses (the Phalgu, the cow, the banyan, the Brahmin) lied — by Sita's curse the Phalgu went underground, the banyan became immortal (the Akshaya Vat).

Bhishma taught Yudhishthira the rules of shraddha (Anushasana Parva) — 'even a handful of water given with faith satisfies the ancestors; even fifty-six dishes given without faith do not'; hence the name 'shraddha' = with faith; the importance of the crow — Yama's messenger, whose taking of the morsel satisfies the ancestors; on the Amavasya all the ancestors return — 'Mahalaya' = towards the great abode.

Kheer-poori, pumpkin-ridge gourd, urad dal, the ancestors' favourites — the shraddha kitchen

The shraddha meal is sattvic and to the ancestors' taste — kheer (rice-milk — dearest to the ancestors), poori, seasonal vegetables (pumpkin-ridge gourd-arbi-okra), urad/chana dal, kadhi, raita, pickle, laddoo; the father's favourite sweet/dish without fail; no garlic-onion-masoor-brinjal-chana (some customs)-stale food; women cook after bathing, the panch-bali first, then the Brahmin, then the family.

• Kheer (rice-milk-saffron — the main bhog of the ancestors), poori (ghee), halwa/laddoo (besan/sesame)
• Vegetables: pumpkin (sitaphal), ridge gourd, arbi, okra, potato-tomato, bottle gourd — seasonal; urad/chana dal vadas, kadhi-pakodi, raita (cucumber/boondi), pickle-chutney
• The panch-bali morsels: a share of kheer-poori-sabzi on each leaf; the crow's morsel on the roof/in the open, the cow's at the cowshed, to the dog, flour and sugar to the ants
• For the ancestor: whatever they loved — malpua, gulab jamun, mango, paan, tea (in modern homes) — with faith; no fish on Mahalaya in Bengal (the shraddha home), payesh-luchi
• South: the shraddha sadya (Kerala), a plain meal after the pitru tarpan — rice-sambar-avial-payasam, vada (urad — dear to the ancestors), banana; Maharashtra: kheer-poori-bhaji, alu vadi, the naivedya of 'Pitru Pandharavda'
• Forbidden: garlic-onion, masoor, brinjal (some), chana/sattu (some customs), stale food, meat-fish-liquor, outside/packaged food

Regional customs

The pind-daan of Gaya, the Mahalaya tarpan of Bengal, the Siddhpur of Gujarat, the monthly tarpan of the south, the Kanagat of the north — the 16-day customs of the ancestors.

Do's and don'ts

Frequently asked questions

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Also read: Anant Chaturdashi (a day earlier) · Jiutiya (the Ashtami of this paksha) · Sharadiya Navratri (the day after the Amavasya) · Pitru dosha check (kundali)

⚠️ This description follows traditional vidhi and folk belief; the custom of your family, gotra tradition and priest comes first. Confirm the exact tithi shraddha date with a panchang; pitru dosha is an astrological belief, not a substitute for medical care.

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