Pitru Paksha 2026: Shraddh Dates & Simple Tarpan Vidhi

Pitru Paksha 2026 begins with Purnima Shraddh on Saturday, 26 September and ends with Sarva Pitru Amavasya on Saturday, 10 October. Sharad Navratri starts the next morning.

Tithi-wise shraddh dates for New Delhi, using the tithi that holds in the afternoon (aparahna), the classical rule for shraddh:

• Sat 26 Sep: Purnima Shraddh
• Sun 27 Sep: Pratipada
• Mon 28 Sep: Dwitiya
• Tue 29 Sep: Tritiya
• Wed 30 Sep: Chaturthi and Panchami (both on the same day this year)
• Thu 1 Oct: Shashthi
• Fri 2 Oct: Saptami
• Sat 3 Oct: Ashtami
• Sun 4 Oct: Navami, also called Matru Navami, traditionally for mothers and married women of the family
• Mon 5 Oct: Dashami
• Tue 6 Oct: Ekadashi
• Wed 7 Oct: Dwadashi
• Thu 8 Oct: Trayodashi
• Fri 9 Oct: Chaturdashi, traditionally for those who died an untimely death, such as in an accident
• Sat 10 Oct: Sarva Pitru Amavasya, for all ancestors, and for anyone whose tithi is not known

Tithi timings shift a little by city. If you live far from Delhi, confirm your day on our daily panchang or in a local panchang.

Shraddh follows the tithi on which the person died, not the English date and not the month. If your grandfather died on an Ashtami, his shraddh this fortnight is on Ashtami, Saturday 3 October.

If nobody remembers the tithi, ask the elders or the family priest, who often keep a record. Otherwise tradition allows the shraddh on Sarva Pitru Amavasya, 10 October, which is meant for all ancestors together.

Time of day: shraddh rites are traditionally done in aparahna, the fourth of five equal parts of the daytime. In Delhi this fortnight that is roughly 1:20 pm to 3:45 pm. Tarpan with water is often offered in the morning after bathing, and the meal for the ancestors follows around midday. Do not start the main rites after sunset. If work makes the afternoon impossible, ask your family priest; most will tell you sincerity matters more than the exact minute.

A full shraddh with pind daan is best done with a priest who knows your family's practice. A simple tarpan is something many people do at home. As tradition describes it:

1. Bathe in the morning and wear clean, simple clothes.
2. Sit facing south, the direction associated with the ancestors in shraddh rites.
3. Keep a copper or brass vessel of clean water, a little black til (sesame) and kusha grass.
4. Take water and a few til in your cupped palms and remember each ancestor by name, relation and gotra.
5. Let the water flow out gently between the thumb and the index finger, into a plate or onto the earth.
6. Offer water three times for each person if you can, then pray for their peace in your own words.
7. Pour the collected water at the root of a tree or plant, not into a drain.

If you are unsure about any step, keep it simple: water, til, their names and a quiet prayer.

The shraddh meal is simple food cooked at home, usually without onion and garlic, and often something the person liked. Before anyone eats, small portions are set aside for a cow, a dog and crows (panchbali). Families traditionally feed one or more brahmins and give dakshina. If that is not possible, feeding a person in need, grain for a temple kitchen or a donation to a cow shelter is widely accepted. What tradition stresses is giving with respect and without show.

Many families treat the fortnight as a time of remembrance and postpone weddings, griha pravesh and big purchases until after Amavasya. These are customs, not rules everyone follows. Daily worship at home and temple visits carry on as usual. Many families today also have daughters or wives perform the rites, with a priest guiding them.

An honest note. Archana does not perform shraddh, tarpan or pind daan. Those rites need a priest who works with your family's practice, and we would rather say so than sell a substitute. Families often turn to their own purohit, or travel to tirthas traditionally linked with pitru rites such as Gaya, Haridwar, Varanasi, Prayagraj and Trimbakeshwar.

Many families also chant Vishnu's name in memory of their ancestors during the fortnight, for example Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya.

When Amavasya ends, Ghatasthapana for Sharad Navratri is on Sunday, 11 October. Our Sharad Navratri 2026 guide has the muhurat and the kalash sthapana vidhi.