Pitru Paksha 2027 — Wednesday 15 September
పితృ పక్షం 2027
Bhadrapada Shudda Purnima (start) to Ashwina Bahula Amavasya (Mahalaya Amavasya, end) — 16 lunar days · Mahalaya Paksha / Shraddha Paksha / Sola Shraddha · Kutup Muhurat 11:47 – 12:36 IST · Rauhina Muhurat 12:36 – 13:25 IST · Aparahna Kaal 13:25 – 15:52 IST (Hyderabad). Primary Tarpanam window is Aparahna Kaal.
Pitru Paksha 2027 (also called Mahalaya Paksha / Shraddha Paksha / Sola Shraddha) falls on Wednesday, 15 September 2027. The 16-day sacred window when Pitrus (ancestors) descend to Earth to receive Tarpanam (water-libation offerings) from their living descendants. Failing to perform Shraddha during this window results in Pitru Dosha, believed to obstruct family progeny, wealth, and peace. Each day of the 16 corresponds to the tithi on which one's ancestor passed away — one performs Shraddha specifically on THAT tithi during Pitru Paksha. The final day, Sarva Pitru Amavasya (also called Mahalaya Amavasya), is the universal day when Shraddha is performed for ALL ancestors whose tithi is unknown OR who couldn't be honored on their specific tithi. Primary observance: Tarpanam (water + black sesame + kusha grass libation) at sunrise or Aparahna, Pinda Daan (offering rice-balls to ancestors), Brahmin Bhojan (feeding a brahmin representing the Pitru), Anna Daanam (feeding the needy), Kaka Bali (offering food to crow — believed to be Yama's messenger), Pitru Suktam recitation, avoiding new purchases + shubh karyas + auspicious ceremonies during the 16 days. Recommended muhurat: Kutup Muhurat 11:47 – 12:36 IST · Rauhina Muhurat 12:36 – 13:25 IST · Aparahna Kaal 13:25 – 15:52 IST (Hyderabad). Primary Tarpanam window is Aparahna Kaal..
Pitru Paksha 2027 — Date & Muhurat
| Festival Date | Wednesday, 15 September 2027 |
| Telugu Masa & Tithi | Bhadrapada Shudda Purnima (start) to Ashwina Bahula Amavasya (Mahalaya Amavasya, end) — 16 lunar days |
| Primary Muhurat | Kutup Muhurat 11:47 – 12:36 IST · Rauhina Muhurat 12:36 – 13:25 IST · Aparahna Kaal 13:25 – 15:52 IST (Hyderabad). Primary Tarpanam window is Aparahna Kaal. |
| Alternative Names | Mahalaya Paksha / Shraddha Paksha / Sola Shraddha |
All timings computed using Lahiri Ayanamsa Swiss Ephemeris for Hyderabad (17.385°N, 78.486°E). For exact local timings in other cities use our Today's Panchangam tool.
Significance of Pitru Paksha 2027
The 16-day sacred window when Pitrus (ancestors) descend to Earth to receive Tarpanam (water-libation offerings) from their living descendants. Failing to perform Shraddha during this window results in Pitru Dosha, believed to obstruct family progeny, wealth, and peace. Each day of the 16 corresponds to the tithi on which one's ancestor passed away — one performs Shraddha specifically on THAT tithi during Pitru Paksha. The final day, Sarva Pitru Amavasya (also called Mahalaya Amavasya), is the universal day when Shraddha is performed for ALL ancestors whose tithi is unknown OR who couldn't be honored on their specific tithi.
Key Rituals on Pitru Paksha 2027
Tarpanam (water + black sesame + kusha grass libation) at sunrise or Aparahna, Pinda Daan (offering rice-balls to ancestors), Brahmin Bhojan (feeding a brahmin representing the Pitru), Anna Daanam (feeding the needy), Kaka Bali (offering food to crow — believed to be Yama's messenger), Pitru Suktam recitation, avoiding new purchases + shubh karyas + auspicious ceremonies during the 16 days.
Pitru Paksha 2027 Puja Samagri Checklist (Shopping List)
Items to procure 1-2 days before Pitru Paksha 2027:
| # | Item |
|---|---|
| 1 | Black sesame seeds (til) |
| 2 | Kusha grass (Darbha) |
| 3 | Barley (yava) |
| 4 | Rice (unbroken akshat) |
| 5 | Water tumbler (Panchapatra) |
| 6 | Uddharani (spoon for tarpanam) |
| 7 | White flowers (kumuda, chrysanthemum) |
| 8 | Sandalwood paste (white) |
| 9 | Ghee lamp + camphor |
| 10 | Naivedyam: kheer, pumpkin curry, urad-dal vada (traditional ancestral naivedyam) |
| 11 | Cotton yajnopavita (thrice-wound sacred thread) |
| 12 | Kaka Bali offering (rice ball for crow) |
Regional Variations of Pitru Paksha 2027
Gaya (Bihar): PRIMARY Shraddha destination — Pinda Daan at Falgu River is believed to liberate 7 generations of ancestors (Vishnu Padam temple). Prayagraj (UP): Triveni Sangam Shraddha. Varanasi: Manikarnika Ghat + Piśāca Mochana Kund. Ujjain: Siddha Vata + Rudrasagar Shraddha. Kurukshetra (Haryana): Brahma Sarovar tarpanam. Andhra / Telangana: Rajahmundry Godavari Pushkara Ghat + Basara + Bhadrachalam. Tamil Nadu: Rameshwaram Agni Theertham + Mahodadhi + Kaveri. Karnataka: Talakaveri + Bhagamandala. Kerala: Papanasam beach + Thirunavaya + Aluva Manappuram. Odisha: Puri + Konark Tarpanam. Bengal: Kali Ghat Tarpanam + Ganga bank Shraddha.
The Fortnight the Ancestors Are Served
Pitru Paksha is the dark fortnight of the lunar month of Bhadrapada, and for its whole length the tradition holds that the pitrus — the three generations before one's own, on both the father's side and the mother's — are near, and that food and water offered with the proper intent reaches them. The fortnight closes on its amavasya, called Mahalaya Amavasya or Sarva Pitru Amavasya, and that last day serves every ancestor whose tithi is unknown, whose rite was missed, or who has no descendant left to serve them.
The account most often recalled is Karna's. He had given away gold all his life and never food, and in the world after death the food set before him turned to gold in his hand. Given leave to return and discharge what he owed, he spent a fortnight offering food and water in his ancestors' name — and tradition points at that fortnight as the one kept now. The lesson in it is the one the whole observance rests on: what is owed to the dead is discharged with food, not with wealth.
The other account is simpler. Yama releases the pitrus for this fortnight so that they may receive what their descendants offer, and they return at its close. Both accounts arrive at the same practical point — the fortnight is a window, it is not reopened, and what is offered in it is offered in person by a descendant.
This is why the tradition speaks of pitru rina, the debt to the ancestors, as one of the three debts a householder is born carrying. It is not settled by belief or by sentiment. It is settled by cooking food, offering it with water and sesame, feeding others with it, and doing that on the day that belongs to the person being served.
Pitru Paksha Puja Vidhi — Step by Step
The rite is shraddha, and its shape is the same whichever day of the fortnight it falls on. The afternoon period it must be performed in — aparahna kaal — is computed for the city and shown in the panel above; the morning is for the bath and the preparation, not for the offering.
| Step | What is done |
|---|---|
| 1 | The day is the tithi, not the date — Shraddha is performed on the tithi on which the person died, as that tithi falls in this fortnight, whatever weekday or calendar date that turns out to be. Where the tithi is not known, it is done on the closing amavasya. |
| 2 | Bath and preparation — The karta — the one performing the rite, usually the eldest son — bathes in the morning, wears unstitched or fresh cloth, and takes no food until the rite is complete. The house is cleaned and the cooking begins without tasting. |
| 3 | Prachinavita and the southern direction — The sacred thread is worn over the right shoulder and under the left arm — prachinavita, the arrangement used only for ancestral rites — and the karta faces south, the direction the tradition assigns to the pitrus, with darbha grass in hand and on the seat. |
| 4 | Sankalpa — The intent is stated aloud, naming the gotra, the ancestor being served and the tithi. This is what fixes the rite to a particular person rather than to ancestors in general. |
| 5 | Tarpana — Water mixed with black sesame is offered through the darbha held between the fingers, to three generations on the father's side, three on the mother's side, and to the household's teachers and dependants, each named in turn. |
| 6 | Pinda daan — Balls of cooked rice are made with black sesame, ghee, honey and barley flour, placed on darbha, and offered with water. The pinda is the body given to the offering so that it can be received. |
| 7 | Brahmana bhojana — A learned person, or in present practice whoever the family invites to stand for the pitrus, is fed first with the food cooked for the rite — including the dishes the ancestor was known to like. The feeding is the rite's substance and not its courtesy. |
| 8 | Pancha bali — Five portions are set aside before anyone eats — for the cow, the crow, the dog, the devas and the ants. The crow's portion is placed outside, and tradition reads the crow coming to take it as the offering having been received. |
| 9 | Daana — Cloth, grain, sesame, a vessel and dakshina are given, and in many families an umbrella, footwear or a blanket as well. Food given to someone who needs it is held to be the highest of these. |
| 10 | The family eats last — Only after the feeding, the bali and the giving does the household eat, from the same food, in silence or in remembrance rather than in celebration. |
A rite performed in the morning, or on an English date chosen for convenience, is not a smaller version of this. It is a different thing. The tithi and the aparahna period are the two things the tradition does not treat as negotiable.
What the karta observes
This is not a fasting fortnight. The restraint falls on the one performing the rite, and most heavily on the day of the rite itself.
| Observance | What it involves |
|---|---|
| On the shraddha day | The karta takes no food until the rite is complete, then one sattvic meal from the food offered — no onion, no garlic, no masoor dal, nothing tasted during the cooking. No oil on the body, no shaving or cutting of hair, no new cloth. |
| Through the fortnight | Many families keep a lighter restraint for all fifteen days — vegetarian food, no celebration, no new venture begun — without any fast at all. |
| Where the full rite cannot be done | Tarpana alone, with water, black sesame and darbha, offered facing south after the morning bath, with the ancestor named. The tradition accepts this where a full shraddha is not possible and treats it as having been done. |
| Where there is no son | Any descendant may perform it — a daughter, a grandson, a brother, a nephew, an adopted child — and where there is no descendant at all, a relative or a priest may perform it on the family's behalf. The tradition makes provision for every case rather than leaving anyone unserved. |
A woman performing shraddha for her parents is within the tradition, not an exception to it. The texts provide for it, and the practice is old.
Mantras Chanted on Pitru Paksha
The sankalpa and tarpana formulas are deliberately not printed here. They name the gotra, the pravara, the ancestor and the tithi, so a generic version would be wrong for every family that used it — those come from your own purohit or from the family's handwritten book. What follows is what is common to all of them.
| Mantra | What it means |
|---|---|
| ఓం నమో భగవతే వాసుదేవాయ Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya | Vishnu is invoked as the presiding deity of shraddha, and this is said at the beginning and the end of the rite. The offering is held to pass through him to the pitrus. |
| ఓం భూర్భువస్సువః తత్సవితుర్వరేణ్యం భర్గో దేవస్య ధీమహి ధియో యో నః ప్రచోదయాత్ Om bhur bhuvah suvah, tat savitur varenyam, bhargo devasya dhimahi, dhiyo yo nah prachodayat | The Gayatri, said at the sandhya before the rite. Those who have been initiated into it say it; those who have not begin with the Vishnu name instead. |
| ఓం పితృభ్యః స్వధా నమః Om pitrubhyah svadha namah | The closing formula of an offering made to the pitrus — svadha being the word that gives the offering over to them. It is said as the water leaves the hand. |
Chant at whatever pace lets the words stay clear. Tradition counts attention, not speed, and a short count said with care is held better than a long one rushed. If a syllable is uncertain, follow your family priest or your temple's recitation rather than a transliteration.
How Pitru Paksha Is Kept Region by Region
The fortnight is kept almost everywhere in India, but what it is called and where it is performed change completely from one region to the next.
| Region | How the day is kept |
|---|---|
| Bengal | Kept as Mahalaya. Tarpan is performed standing in the Ganga at dawn on the closing amavasya, and the day is also the hinge of the year — Pitru Paksha ends and Devi Paksha begins, so the pre-dawn Mahishasura Mardini broadcast that marks the Durga Puja season belongs to the same morning. |
| Gaya, Bihar | The principal place for the rite anywhere. The Pitru Paksha Mela draws pilgrims for the whole fortnight, and pind daan is performed at the Vishnupad temple, on the Falgu river bed and at the Akshayavat. Tradition holds that shraddha performed at Gaya discharges the obligation permanently, which is why families travel once for it. |
| Andhra Pradesh and Telangana | Kept as Mahalaya Paksham, with the shraddha on the person's own tithi and the fortnight closing on Mahalaya Amavasya. Tarpanam is performed at the Godavari and Krishna ghats and at the family home, and the Pithapuram, Kotipalli and Amaravati ghats draw the largest gatherings. |
| Tamil Nadu | Kept as Mahalaya Paksham, with tarpanam performed at the sea and river ghats and at the household. Rameswaram's Agni Theertham is the best-known place for it, and the amavasya tarpanam is kept monthly through the year as well as in this fortnight. |
| Maharashtra | The fortnight is kept as Pitru Paksha and the closing day as Sarvapitri Amavasya. Trimbakeshwar on the Godavari is the state's principal kshetra for the rite, including the Narayan Nagbali and Tripindi rites performed where a shraddha has been missed for years. |
| Gujarat | Siddhpur, on the Saraswati, is the place kept specifically for the mother's shraddha — matru shraddha at the Bindu Sarovar — and families travel there for that rite in particular, which no other kshetra is held to serve in the same way. |
| Uttarakhand and the north | Brahma Kapal at Badrinath is held to be the highest place for pind daan after Gaya, with the Narayani Shila at Haridwar and the sangam at Prayagraj also kept for it. |
| Kerala | Kerala's principal ancestral rite is Karkidaka Vavu Bali, performed on the new moon of the solar month of Karkidakam — a different day in a different month from this fortnight, not a Kerala version of it. Families with roots elsewhere keep Pitru Paksha as well, at the Thiruvallam and Varkala shrines. |
Which day of the fortnight is yours
Most families need only one day of the fifteen, and it is not chosen. It is the tithi on which the person died, as that tithi falls in this fortnight. A death on a shukla-paksha dashami is served on the krishna-paksha dashami of this fortnight; the fortnight supplies one of each tithi, and that is the whole design of it.
Several days in the fortnight are set aside for particular cases, and these are the ones households most often need explained. Bharani shraddha, on the day the Bharani nakshatra falls, is kept for a death within the past year. Madhyashtami is kept where the family's custom assigns it. Avidhava Navami serves married women who died before their husbands, and is performed with the offerings a married woman receives. Matru Navami is kept for the mother where her tithi is unknown. Ghata Chaturdashi — also called Ghayala Chaturdashi — is kept for those who died by accident, violence or suicide rather than by illness or age. Sannyasis are served on the dwadashi. And the closing amavasya, Sarva Pitru Amavasya, serves everyone else: the tithi unknown, the rite missed, the ancestor with no one left to serve them.
Where a family has lost the record of a death entirely, the amavasya is the answer and the tradition does not ask for more than that. Nothing in the fortnight depends on the family having kept good papers.
Why the offering is food, and what the crow is for
Everything offered in shraddha is edible or drinkable — cooked rice, water, black sesame, ghee, honey, barley, the dishes the person liked. The rite does not accept money as a substitute, and the Karna story exists to make exactly that point. Giving generously in the ancestor's name is meritorious, but it is a separate act; it does not stand in for the food.
The pancha bali sets aside five portions before the family eats, and the crow's is the one everyone watches. Tradition treats the crow as the messenger of the pitrus, and a crow coming to take the portion as the sign that the offering has been received. It is read closely, and a crow that does not come is discussed in families for years afterwards.
Where no crow comes, the tradition's own answer is to wait, to call, and then to leave the portion out and continue — the rite is complete when it has been performed properly, and the omen is read as encouragement rather than as a verdict. Nothing is repeated on account of it.
What the fortnight is not
The convention that nothing new is begun in Pitru Paksha is real and widely kept — no griha pravesham, no marriage, no betrothal, no new vehicle, no shop opening, no first use of gold. What is being deferred in all of those is celebration, and the fortnight is a period of remembrance rather than one of misfortune.
The tradition does not forbid necessity, and households that treat it as forbidding everything make the fortnight harder than it is meant to be. Medical treatment, surgery, examinations, joining work, travel, paying for education, signing what must be signed on a date not of your choosing — none of these is held back. A birth in the fortnight is not inauspicious and the child's rites are performed normally.
How strictly the convention is kept also varies by region and by family, and the stricter reading is not the more correct one. Where you have a family custom, keep it; where you do not, defer the celebration and get on with the rest.
More Questions About Pitru Paksha
Which day of Pitru Paksha should our family observe?
What if we do not know when our ancestor died?
Can a daughter perform shraddha?
Why must it be done in the afternoon?
Is Pitru Paksha a fasting fortnight?
Can we hold a wedding or a house-warming in this fortnight?
What is pind daan, and is Gaya necessary?
What if no crow takes the offering?
Points Households Most Often Get Wrong
| # | Point |
|---|---|
| 1 | Performing the rite in the morning — Shraddha belongs to aparahna kaal, the afternoon period shown in the panel above. The morning is for the bath and the cooking. A rite completed before that window has not been performed at its time. |
| 2 | Fixing it to a weekday or an English date — The day is the tithi of the death as it falls in this fortnight, and it moves in the calendar every year. A date remembered from last year is almost certainly the wrong day this year. |
| 3 | Believing only a son may perform it — A daughter, a grandson, a brother, a nephew or an adopted child may perform it, and a relative or priest may perform it where there is no descendant. The tradition provides for every case. |
| 4 | Giving money in place of food — The whole fortnight turns on food offered and others fed. Charity in the ancestor's name is a separate merit; it does not replace the anna and the jala. |
| 5 | Skipping the pancha bali — The five portions are set aside before the family eats, not after. Leaving them until the end inverts the order the rite is built on. |
| 6 | Treating the fortnight as inauspicious for everything — Celebration is deferred. Treatment, work, study, travel and necessity are not, and a birth in the fortnight carries nothing against it. |