Pitru Paksha 2027

Pitru Paksha 2027 runs from Thursday, 16 September to Wednesday, 29 September, ending on Sarva Pitru (Mahalaya) Amavasya. Also called Shraddh, it is the fortnight of the dark half of Bhadrapada (Ashvin in the amanta calendar) set aside to honour one’s ancestors (pitrs). Families offer water, sesame and rice balls (pinda) and feed Brahmins, cows, crows and the poor, so that the ancestors are nourished and at peace. Because the period is devoted to remembrance, new purchases and celebrations are traditionally avoided.

Pitru Paksha 2027 dates

Pitru Paksha 2027 is from 16 to 29 September 2027, with Sarva Pitru Amavasya on Wednesday, 29 September. In 2026, Mahalaya Amavasya fell on Saturday, 10 October. Each ancestor’s shraddha is performed on the tithi of their death; Sarva Pitru Amavasya is for all ancestors, including those whose tithi is unknown. Sharad Navratri begins the next day.

Why Pitru Paksha is observed

Hindu tradition holds that three generations of ancestors dwell in Pitru Loka and depend on offerings from their descendants. The Garuda Purana and the dharmashastras describe shraddha as a sacred duty (pitru rina, the debt to one’s ancestors) and say that during this fortnight the ancestors come closest to the earthly world to receive what is offered.

A popular story, told in folk retellings of the Mahabharata, explains its importance: when Karna reached heaven after death, he was offered only gold and jewels as food, because in life he had given gold freely but never food to his ancestors. Allowed to return to earth for fifteen days to make amends, he offered food and water to them, and those days became Pitru Paksha. This story is a folk tradition and does not appear in the critical edition of the epic.

How Pitru Paksha is observed

• Tarpan: water mixed with black sesame and kusha grass is offered to the ancestors, usually facing south.
• Pinda daan: balls of cooked rice, barley and sesame are offered; Gaya in Bihar is the most important place for this rite.
• Feeding: a portion of the meal is given to a crow, a cow, a dog and ants, and Brahmins or the needy are fed.
• Simplicity: sattvic food without onion or garlic; no new clothes, weddings or house-warmings.

The meaning of Pitru Paksha

Pitru Paksha is a fortnight of gratitude for those who gave us life. Remembering them, and feeding others in their name, ties the living to the generations before them. See every date on the Hindu festival calendar.

Frequently asked questions