Pitru Paksha and Shraddha: What They Are and How the Tithi Is Chosen

Pitru Paksha (also Shraddha Paksha or Mahalaya Paksha) is a fortnight of sixteen lunar days dedicated to honouring ancestors (pitrs). It begins with the full moon of Bhadrapada (Purnima Shraddha) and runs through the dark fortnight to the new moon — the Sarvapitri Amavasya, also called Mahalaya Amavasya. It falls in September or October and ends just before Sharad Navratri begins.

Shraddha is a ritual expression of gratitude and remembrance — a meal, water and prayers offered to departed ancestors, usually three generations back on the father's side. The word comes from shraddha, meaning sincere faith. The rite can be performed at home, at a river bank or at a traditional site such as Gaya, Prayagraj, Varanasi, Haridwar, Nashik or Pushkar.

The Shraddha for each ancestor is normally performed on the lunar day (tithi) on which that person died — not on the date of death in the civil calendar — taken from the dark fortnight. So if your grandfather passed away on Krishna Panchami, his Shraddha falls on the Panchami of Pitru Paksha. Several special days exist:

• Matri Navami (Navami): traditionally for mothers and for married women who died before their husbands.
• Chaturdashi: for people who died by accident, violence or unnatural causes; commonly called Ghata Chaturdashi.
• Sarvapitri Amavasya: for anyone whose tithi is unknown or forgotten, or as an all-ancestors offering.
• Purnima and Pratipada: for those who passed away on those tithis.

Shraddha is traditionally performed in the afternoon — between roughly midday and the middle of the afternoon — rather than in the morning. Almanacs name windows for it such as Kutup Muhurat, Rohina Muhurat and Aparahna Kaal. Because a tithi can spread over two days, the rule is usually to use the day on which the tithi is present in the Aparahna window.

Tarpan is the offering of water, often mixed with sesame seeds, to ancestors. Pind daan is the offering of rice balls (pindas) with sesame and barley flour, usually with the help of a priest. A meal is prepared with the food the family associates with the ancestor, and a portion is offered to crows, cows and dogs and to Brahmins or the needy. Many people also donate food, clothing or money in the name of the ancestors.

Customs vary a great deal by region, family lineage (gotra) and tradition, so a family priest or elders are the best guide on the exact procedure.

Many families avoid auspicious new beginnings — weddings, housewarming, buying a new house or vehicle — during Pitru Paksha, and keep food simple and satvik. The tradition regards it as a period of remembrance rather than celebration. These are customs, not fixed rules, and observance varies.

If the tithi of death is unknown, or the person passed away long ago, the tradition offers Sarvapitri Amavasya as the day to remember everyone together. Simple acts — a prayer, a meal offered, a donation or planting a tree in their memory — are widely accepted as sincere Shraddha when a full ritual isn't possible.