Festival · 2026
Pitru Paksha 2026 — Sunday, 27 September 2026
Pitru Paksha is a fortnight set aside to remember those who came before us, with shraddha, tarpan and food shared in their name.
In 2026
Sunday, 27 September 2026until 10 October 2026
- Tithi
- Krishna Pratipada (Krishna): 26 Sep, 10:18 PM – 27 Sep, 8:59 PM
- Lunar month
- Ashvin (purnimanta) / Bhadrapada (amanta)
- Sunrise / sunset
- 6:11 AM / 6:12 PM
- Purnima shraddha: 26 September 2026
- Sarva Pitru Amavasya: 10 October 2026
Rule: From the Krishna Pratipada shraddha after Bhadrapada Purnima to Sarva Pitru Amavasya (Ashvin Krishna in the purnimanta reckoning); each shraddha tithi is taken at aparahna.
In 2027
Thursday, 16 September 2027until 29 September 2027
- Tithi
- Krishna Pratipada (Krishna): 16 Sep, 4:33 AM – 17 Sep, 5:52 AM
- Lunar month
- Ashvin (purnimanta) / Bhadrapada (amanta)
- Sunrise / sunset
- 6:06 AM / 6:25 PM
- Purnima shraddha: 15 September 2027
- Sarva Pitru Amavasya: 29 September 2027
Rule: From the Krishna Pratipada shraddha after Bhadrapada Purnima to Sarva Pitru Amavasya (Ashvin Krishna in the purnimanta reckoning); each shraddha tithi is taken at aparahna.
Times follow New Delhi’s sunrise and sunset. In other cities the muhurat shifts by some minutes, and occasionally the day by one. Full festival calendar
What is Pitru Paksha?
Pitru Paksha, also called Shraddha Paksha or Mahalaya Paksha, is the dark fortnight in which families remember their ancestors. It runs from the Pratipada after Bhadrapada Purnima to Sarva Pitru Amavasya, the new moon that closes it. Each day corresponds to a tithi, and a family performs shraddha for a departed relative on the tithi on which that person passed away, whatever the month of their passing.
The word shraddha comes from the Sanskrit for faith and sincere regard. Tradition holds that the ancestors are especially near during this fortnight, and that water, sesame and food offered with sincerity reach them. The Mahabharata tradition tells of Karna, who in the afterlife was given gold but no food because he had never offered food to his forebears, and was allowed to return to earth for these days to make amends.
At heart, Pitru Paksha is an act of gratitude. It is a time to say the names of grandparents and great-grandparents, to cook the dishes they loved, to feed someone who is hungry, and to remember that each of us stands on what others built. Nothing in the tradition asks for fear; it asks for remembrance, simplicity and care, offered in whatever way a family is able.
How it is observed
- Shraddha for each relative is done on the tithi of their passing, at aparahna, the afternoon part of the day.
- Tarpan is offered: water with black sesame and kusha grass is poured while saying the names of the ancestors.
- Pinda daan, the offering of rice balls, is made at home, by a river, or at places such as Gaya, Varanasi and Prayagraj.
- Simple food is cooked; portions are set aside for a cow, crows and a dog, and the meal is shared with Brahmins or people in need.
- Those who do not know a relative’s tithi perform shraddha for them on Sarva Pitru Amavasya, and many families remember mothers on Navami.
- Many families, as a custom of restraint, avoid new purchases and celebrations during the fortnight and keep meals sattvic.
- Charity in the ancestors’ name — food, clothes, a child’s schooling — is a common modern way to observe the days.
How the date is fixed
Pitru Paksha begins with the Pratipada shraddha on the day after Bhadrapada Purnima and ends on Sarva Pitru Amavasya. In the purnimanta reckoning used in the north this is the dark half of Ashvin; in the amanta reckoning of the west and south it is the dark half of Bhadrapada — the same days under different month names. Each shraddha tithi is assigned to the day on which that tithi prevails at aparahna, the fourth of five equal parts of the daytime. The Purnima shraddha falls on the day before the fortnight begins.
Where practice differs
In Bengal the closing new moon is Mahalaya, when tarpan is offered on the Ganga ghats at dawn and Devi Paksha, leading to Durga Puja, begins. In Maharashtra and Karnataka the fortnight is usually called Mahalaya Paksha, and Gaya in Bihar draws families from across India for pinda daan. Some families also keep particular days, such as Matru Navami for mothers and Chaturdashi for those who died untimely deaths.
Dates and times are computed by our own engine (sunrise, tithi and kalas for New Delhi, Lahiri ayanamsa). In another city, or in an almanac of another tradition, the day can differ by one — follow your family’s tradition.
Questions people ask
On which day should shraddha be done for a parent?
On the tithi of this fortnight that matches the tithi on which they passed away. If that is not known, Sarva Pitru Amavasya is the day for all ancestors.
Can we buy things or celebrate during Pitru Paksha?
Many families avoid new purchases and celebrations as a custom of restraint during this fortnight, not out of fear. Follow what your own family practises.
What is Sarva Pitru Amavasya?
It is the new moon that ends Pitru Paksha, when shraddha is offered for all ancestors together, especially those whose tithi is not known.