Ancestral rites pujas (पितृ कर्म)
Shraddh, Tarpan, Pind Daan and Asthi Visarjan — the rites a family keeps for those who have gone.
If you have arrived here in the days after a death, this page is meant to be enough on its own: what each rite is, when it is kept, what the family needs to have ready, and how to reach a pandit who does this work with care.
- Shraddh श्राद्ध — the annual rite kept on the tithi of a death
- Pind Daan पिंड दान — the offering made at Gaya for three generations of ancestors
- Tarpan तर्पण — water offered with sesame, kept daily through Pitru Paksha
Questions families ask
How soon can a pandit come?
Within a day in the cities we serve, and usually the same evening if you call. Say on the call that it is for ancestral rites and the request is handled first.
Can rites be performed if we cannot travel to Gaya?
Yes. Shraddh and Tarpan are kept at home anywhere. Pind Daan is traditionally kept at Gaya; families who cannot travel keep it at a local ghat with the same sankalp.
Who in the family should perform it?
Traditionally the eldest son, and in his absence any child or close relative. Pandits will guide you on the day; no one is turned away for not knowing.
What is included in the price?
The pandit’s dakshina, the vidhi and the samagri he carries. Ghat charges at Gaya or Varanasi, where they apply, are shown as their own line before payment.