Pitru Paksha 2026: 26 September - 10 October Dates, Full Shraddha Tithi Calendar & Tarpan Vidhi

For fifteen days each year, the Hindu calendar goes quiet. No weddings are fixed. No new houses are entered. No new business is begun. The fortnight belongs to someone else — to the people who came before us and are no longer here to ask for anything.

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This is Pitru Paksha, also called Mahalaya Paksha or Shraddh Paksha. In 2026 it runs from Saturday, 26 September to Saturday, 10 October, ending on Sarva Pitru Amavasya — the single most important day of the entire fortnight.

This guide gives you the complete tithi-by-tithi calendar for 2026, the tarpan vidhi you can perform at home without a priest, what to avoid, and what to do if you do not know the tithi your ancestor passed on.

Pitru Paksha 2026: Full Shraddha Tithi Calendar

Each ancestor is remembered on the tithi on which they passed away — not the English calendar date. Find that tithi in the table below to know which day your family's shraddha falls on in 2026.

Why 16 tithis fit into 15 days this year

Pitru Paksha covers 16 shraddha tithis, from Purnima to Amavasya. Lunar tithis do not line up neatly with solar days, so in some years a tithi is lost — it begins and ends without ever touching a sunrise. This is called tithi kshaya.

In 2026 that happens once: Saptami and Ashtami shraddha both fall on Saturday, 3 October. If your ancestor's tithi is Saptami or Ashtami, that is your day. Because combined-tithi days differ slightly between panchang traditions, confirm with your family purohit if your shraddha falls in this window.

The Four Days That Are Different

Bharani and Maha Bharani Shraddha

Shraddha performed on the Bharani nakshatra during this fortnight is held to carry the merit of a Gaya shraddha. It is traditionally observed for those who passed within the previous year.

Avidhava Navami — Sunday, 4 October

Navami is reserved for married women who died while their husband was still living. It is performed by the sons, and the shraddha food is offered to a married woman rather than to a brahmin. Widowed women are not remembered on this tithi.

Ghata Chaturdashi — Friday, 9 October

Chaturdashi is kept for pitrus who died an unnatural, violent or accidental death — and for that reason it is not used for ordinary shraddha, even if the death tithi was Chaturdashi. Families whose ancestor passed on Chaturdashi by natural causes usually perform the rite on Sarva Pitru Amavasya instead.

Sarva Pitru Amavasya — Saturday, 10 October

The most important day of the fortnight, and the one to remember if you remember nothing else. On Mahalaya, shraddha and tarpan are performed for all ancestors — known and unknown, named and forgotten, of both the paternal and the maternal line.

If you do not know your ancestor's tithi; if you missed their day; if you were travelling; if your family has simply lost the record — 10 October covers it. Sharad Navratri begins the following day, and the mood of the calendar turns.

Tarpan Vidhi: How to Offer at Home

Tarpan is the offering of water to ancestors. It does not require a temple, a river, or a priest — the shastra permits it to be done at home, and for families abroad this is the normal practice.

1. Bathe early, before or around sunrise. Wear clean, simple clothing; remove leather items.
2. Face south. South is the direction of Yama and of the pitrus. Sit on a kush-grass asana or a clean woollen mat.
3. Prepare the tarpan jal. In a copper kalash, mix clean water (a little gangajal if you have it), black sesame (kala til), a few drops of pure ghee and white flower petals.
4. Shift the janeu. Those who wear the yagnopavita move it to the apasavya position — over the right shoulder and under the left arm, the reverse of daily wear.
5. Pour through the pitru tirtha. Cup the water in both palms and let it fall over the base of the thumb — the part of the hand reserved for ancestors, not over the fingertips.
6. Name them. With each offering, say the ancestor's name and gotra followed by trupyatu (may they be satisfied). Offer for the paternal line — father, grandfather, great-grandfather — and separately for the maternal line.
7. Repeat three times for each ancestor.
8. On Mahalaya, close with the universal offering: Sarvebhyah pitrubhyo namah, trupyatu.
9. Close with pranam. Ask for their peace, and for their blessing on the household.

Pind Daan at Home

Pind daan is the offering of rice balls representing three generations of ancestors. Traditionally performed at Gaya, Prayagraj, Kashi or Rameshwaram, it can also be done at home:

• Cook plain rice with no salt and no spices; mix in black til.
• Shape three or five lemon-sized pindas.
• Place them on a banana leaf or on dry kush grass.
• Offer with water, til and mantras.
• Afterwards, give the pindas to a cow, a crow or a dog — all three are held to be messengers between the worlds. In their absence, place them at the root of a peepal tree or immerse them in flowing water.

The three shraddha muhurats

Parvan shraddha is ideally performed in one of three windows — Kutup Muhurat (late mid-morning), Rohina Muhurat (immediately after Kutup) and Aparahna Kaal (early afternoon). All three are calculated from each day's local sunrise and sunset, so check a panchang for your own city rather than using a fixed clock time for the whole fortnight. Shraddha is never performed in the early morning or after sunset.

What to Avoid During Pitru Paksha

One rule sits above the rest: on any shraddha day, feed someone else before you eat — a brahmin, a person in need, a cow, a crow or a dog. The fortnight is built on that single gesture.

Can Daughters Perform Shraddha?

Yes. The Garuda Purana and Bhavishya Purana both permit a daughter to perform shraddha where no son is available or able, and the practice is increasingly recognised. In practical terms, any devout family member who performs the rite with a clear sankalp and correct vidhi is accepted. If your family follows a strict parampara, take the question to your kul purohit rather than assuming either way.

Observing Pitru Paksha From Abroad

Tithis are calculated from local sunrise, so your shraddha date may shift by a day outside India — check a panchang set to your own city.

• Home tarpan is fully valid; no river or temple is required.
• If cows and crows are not reachable, place the pindas at the root of a tree — peepal by preference.
• On Mahalaya (10 October), perform the Sarva Pitru tarpan for both lineages.
• If you cannot chant the shraddha mantras, recite the Vishnu Sahasranama or a chapter of the Garuda Purana instead.
• A video call with the family purohit in India during the muhurat is now common and entirely acceptable.
• Feeding people at your local mandir counts as brahmana bhojana.

Samagri for Shraddha and Tarpan

• Black Sesame Seeds (Kala Til) (₹35) — essential; no tarpan is complete without til
• Copper Kalash (₹599) — for the tarpan jal
• Gangajal (₹59) — added to the offering water
• Pure Desi Ghee (₹179) — for the tarpan jal and the diya
• Akshat (₹49) — unbroken rice for the offerings
• Chandan Powder (₹39)
• Bhimseni Kapoor (₹149) — for the closing aarti
• Cow Upla (₹359) — if your family performs a havan during the fortnight

Watch: Shraddha, Tarpan and Pind Daan Explained

Frequently Asked Questions

When exactly does Pitru Paksha 2026 start and end?
It begins on Saturday, 26 September 2026 with Purnima Shraddha and ends on Saturday, 10 October 2026 with Sarva Pitru Amavasya. Some families count the fortnight from Pratipada on 27 September; both are correct depending on parampara.

I do not know the tithi my grandfather died on. What do I do?
Perform the shraddha on Sarva Pitru Amavasya, 10 October 2026. That day exists precisely for ancestors whose tithi is unknown, forgotten or unrecorded.

Why are crows fed during Pitru Paksha?
The crow is traditionally regarded as a messenger of Yama and a form the pitrus may take to receive the offering. Feeding cows and dogs carries the same intent — the food given is understood to reach the ancestors.

Can we celebrate a birthday or buy a phone during Pitru Paksha?
Everyday purchases and a quiet birthday are generally acceptable. What is postponed is the auspicious and the celebratory — weddings, griha pravesh, a new vehicle, a new business, large parties.

Is Pitru Paksha inauspicious?
No. It is solemn, which is not the same thing. Shraddha performed properly is said to bring long life, progeny, knowledge and prosperity from the ancestors themselves. The restraint of the fortnight is respect, not misfortune.

What if I miss my ancestor's tithi this year?
Offer on Mahalaya Amavasya, 10 October. It covers every tithi that was missed.

Fifteen Days of Remembering

Pitru Paksha asks for very little that money can buy. Water, black sesame, a handful of rice, a direction to face, and the names of people you may never have met.

What it really asks for is memory — that a family should be able to say, once a year, who it came from. Between 26 September and 10 October, that is the whole practice.