Pitru Paksha 2026: Shraddha Dates, the Tithi Rule, and How to Perform Tarpan at Home

For a fortnight each year, many Hindu families keep a quiet appointment with the people they have lost. Before anyone eats, a small portion of the day's food is set aside. Someone waits on the terrace or by the gate for a crow to come and take it, because the crow is believed to carry the offering to the ancestors. Homes keep things simple in these two weeks. Nothing new is bought, and celebrations wait. Pitru Paksha is not a festival. It is a season of remembering, and of saying a plain thank you to the parents, grandparents and forebears who gave us a name and a life.

In 2026, Pitru Paksha runs from Sunday, 27 September to Saturday, 10 October, ending with Sarva Pitru Amavasya. Purnima Shraddha, for those who passed away on a full moon, falls the day before, on Saturday, 26 September. Below is every shraddha date for the year, how to work out which day is yours, and how to keep the rites at home.

Begins: Sunday, 27 September 2026 (Pratipada)

Purnima Shraddha: Saturday, 26 September 2026 (the day before)

Ends: Saturday, 10 October 2026 (Sarva Pitru Amavasya)

Month: Ashwin Krishna Paksha (Purnimanta) / Bhadrapada (Amanta)

Time for shraddha: around midday (Kutup and Rohina muhurat), finished within Aparahna

If the tithi is unknown: Sarva Pitru Amavasya, 10 October

What Pitru Paksha actually is

Hindu thought speaks of three debts a person carries through life. One of them is the pitru rina, the debt owed to those who came before us. Pitru Paksha is when that debt is remembered. It is not repaid like a loan, but acknowledged with gratitude. The rites are offered for three generations, usually father, grandfather and great-grandfather, along with the maternal side. The prayer behind all of it is simple: that these souls rest in peace, and in time find liberation. Tradition holds that the ancestors draw near during this fortnight to receive what their descendants offer.

Pitru Paksha 2026: every shraddha date

Each date below is the tithi as it falls in North India. Tithis begin and end at odd hours, so a date can shift by a day with the panchang or the city.

• 26 September (Saturday): Purnima Shraddha

• 27 September (Sunday): Pratipada

• 28 September (Monday): Dwitiya

• 29 September (Tuesday): Tritiya

• 30 September (Wednesday): Chaturthi and Panchami, both on one day

• 1 October (Thursday): Shashthi

• 2 October (Friday): Saptami

• 3 October (Saturday): Ashtami

• 4 October (Sunday): Navami, also Matru Navami

• 5 October (Monday): Dashami

• 6 October (Tuesday): Ekadashi, also Indira Ekadashi

• 7 October (Wednesday): Dwadashi, and Magha Shraddha

• 8 October (Thursday): Trayodashi

• 9 October (Friday): Chaturdashi (Ghata Chaturdashi)

• 10 October (Saturday): Sarva Pitru Amavasya

You will notice Chaturthi and Panchami share 30 September. That is not a typo. This year one tithi starts after sunrise and ends before the next sunrise, so it never "owns" a day of its own. Panchangs call this tithi kshaya, and it is also why fifteen lunar days fit into fourteen calendar days this time.

How to find your ancestor's day

Shraddha is performed on the tithi, the lunar day, on which the person passed away, not on the English date. If your grandmother died on a Saptami, in any month of any year, her shraddha this year falls on the Saptami of Pitru Paksha, which is 2 October. Families usually remember the tithi from the year of death. If yours has been forgotten, an old diary, the family purohit, or a panchang for that date can usually recover it.

You will see many calendars list the start as 26 September. That is because they count Purnima Shraddha as day one. Strictly, Purnima Shraddha falls on Bhadrapada Purnima, and the fortnight itself runs from Pratipada, 27 September, to Amavasya. Kaalo follows that reckoning. Either way, the shraddha days themselves do not change, so whichever start date your calendar shows, your ancestor's tithi falls on the same day.

One more source of confusion. North Indian (Purnimanta) calendars place this fortnight in Ashwin, while South Indian (Amanta) calendars call it Bhadrapada. The month name differs, but the days are the same. Follow the panchang your family has always used.

The days with a special purpose

• Matru Navami (4 October): for mothers, and for married women of the family who passed before their husbands. It is also called Avidhava Navami.

• Indira Ekadashi (6 October): the Ekadashi inside Pitru Paksha, kept as a fast for the peace of the ancestors.

• Ghata Chaturdashi (9 October): kept for those who died an untimely death, in an accident or some other sudden way. A relative who died naturally on a Chaturdashi is remembered on Amavasya instead.

• Sarva Pitru Amavasya, or Mahalaya (10 October): the most important day of the fortnight, for all ancestors together, and for anyone whose tithi is unknown or was missed.

Shraddha and tarpan at home, step by step

You do not need to travel to Gaya or Haridwar to keep Pitru Paksha. A sincere observance at home carries its own weight. Shraddha is traditionally done around midday, in the Kutup and Rohina muhurat, and finished within Aparahna, the afternoon part of the day. Early morning and night are avoided.

1. Bathe and wear clean clothes. The person performing the rite often wears a ring of kusha grass.

2. For tarpan, face south and offer water mixed with black til, taking each ancestor's name. The water is traditionally poured from the side of the palm between the thumb and forefinger, called the pitru tirtha.

3. On your ancestor's tithi, cook simple sattvic food, often kheer, puri and a seasonal sabzi, without onion or garlic.

4. Before anyone eats, set aside the pancha bali, small portions for the cow, the dog, the crow, the ants and the devas. Then feed a Brahmin or someone in need, and only after that the family.

5. Offer it all with a calm mind and a few words of thanks. Here the feeling behind it matters far more than the size of it.

Pind daan is usually done with a priest, and many families travel to Gaya for it once in a lifetime. Daily tarpan and the tithi shraddha, though, can be kept simply at home.

What tradition asks you to avoid

Because these are solemn days, many families set certain things aside for the fortnight:

• New beginnings: buying a house or vehicle, weddings, griha pravesh and other auspicious starts are usually put off until after Sarva Pitru Amavasya.

• Sattvic food only: onion, garlic, non-vegetarian food and alcohol are avoided.

• Grooming customs vary by family. Some avoid new clothes, haircuts or shaving during the fortnight; others don't.

None of this is about fear. It keeps the two weeks simple, and turned toward the ancestors rather than toward ourselves. A common misreading is worth correcting here. Pitru Paksha is not inauspicious or unlucky. It is grave, which is a different thing. The debt it honours is one of love.

Sarva Pitru Amavasya, the closing day

If you remember one date from this fortnight, make it this one. On Sarva Pitru Amavasya, 10 October 2026, shraddha can be offered for every ancestor at once, known or unknown, and especially for those whose tithi has been lost across generations. For families who could not keep the exact tithi, or never knew it, this single day covers everyone. Tradition holds that it eases pitru dosha and helps the departed move on in peace. The very next morning, 11 October, Sharad Navratri begins, and the calendar turns from remembrance to celebration.

Frequently asked

When does Pitru Paksha begin and end in 2026?

It runs from Sunday, 27 September to Saturday, 10 October 2026, closing on Sarva Pitru Amavasya. Purnima Shraddha is on Saturday, 26 September, the day before.

On which day should I perform shraddha?

On the tithi that matches the lunar day your ancestor passed away. If you do not know it, perform it on Sarva Pitru Amavasya, 10 October.

My ancestor died on a Chaturthi or a Panchami. Which date is theirs?

This year both tithis fall on Wednesday, 30 September, so the shraddha for either is on that day.

Can shraddha be done at home without a priest?

Yes. Tarpan with water and black til, and a simple sattvic offering on the tithi, can be kept at home. Pind daan is usually done with a priest.

Is Pitru Paksha an inauspicious time?

No. It is a solemn time, not an unlucky one. New purchases and celebrations are put off out of respect, not fear.

What time of day is best for shraddha?

Around midday, in the Kutup and Rohina muhurat, finishing within Aparahna. The exact clock time depends on your city's sunrise.

For every shraddha date, the daily Panchang, and a reminder before Sarva Pitru Amavasya, Kaalo keeps the whole Hindu calendar in your pocket, offline.