Pitru Paksha 2026 DatesShraddha tithis and timings for your location

What is Pitru Paksha?

In the Amanta lunar calendar, the waning fortnight of Bhadrapada is called Mahalaya Paksha or Pitru Paksha. The North Indian Purnimanta system calls this same period Ashwina Krishna Paksha. The lunar month names differ, but they refer to the same fortnight.

This is a time to remember with gratitude the parents who gave us life and the ancestors from whom our family descends. Our tradition regards performing ancestral rites with devotion as a responsibility. Tarpana, Shraddha, Pinda Pradana and food offerings follow the family's customs and the rules applicable to the person performing them.

How is the Shraddha tithi decided?

The sunrise tithi and the Shraddha tithi need not be the same. A general Panchanga usually shows the tithi prevailing at sunrise. For assigning a Shraddha day, we must examine its presence during Aparahna.

When a tithi overlaps Aparahna on two days, my site's calculation chooses the day with the longer overlap. Equal overlap is assigned to the earlier day. This is why changing the city can sometimes change the Shraddha date. This page uses the same rules as my monthly Shraddha calculator.

What does Tithi Dwayam mean?

In this Shraddha calendar, Tithi Dwayam means that two different tithis are assigned the same civil date for Shraddha. A tithi does not always last 24 hours. Its boundaries and Aparahna overlap on neighbouring days can produce this result.

Simply seeing two tithis during one Aparahna is not enough to assign both Shraddhas to that day. The neighbouring day's overlap must also be checked. The calendar marks Tithi Dwayam only when both assignments resolve to the same date.

This does not mean performing two Shraddhas for one deceased person. Use the row corresponding to your ancestor's tithi. If two separate family Shraddhas fall on the same day, discuss their order and procedure with your priest.

What does Shunya Tithi mean?

Here, Shunya Tithi or a Shunya Shraddha day means that no Shraddha tithi has been assigned to a particular civil date. It does not mean that the day has no astronomical tithi. A tithi exists at every instant; 'Shunya' refers to the Shraddha-day assignment.

For example, a tithi may overlap Aparahna on two days and be assigned to the day with the longer overlap. If neither neighbouring tithi is assigned to the other date, that date remains a Shunya Shraddha day. This explains why a Panchanga can show a tithi while a Shraddha calendar marks the date Shunya.

Refer to the day actually assigned to your tithi instead of choosing the Shunya date. This label does not prohibit all remembrance, charity or other ancestral observances on that day. Follow your family's tradition for the particular rite.

There are no Shunya Shraddha days in this Mahalaya fortnight for the selected location and year.

Is no Aparahna overlap the same as Shunya Tithi?

They are different. A Shunya day is a date without an assigned Shraddha tithi. A tithi without Aparahna overlap is a tithi that falls outside Aparahna on every relevant day. In the latter case, the existing monthly calculator assigns its local start date; I show a special note beside it.

The displayed periods then belong to that day; they do not mean the tithi lasts throughout those periods. Confirm the ritual time with your priest. In a general Panchanga, a Kshaya Tithi begins after one sunrise and ends before the next sunrise. Do not confuse it with a Shunya Shraddha day.

What are Kutupa, Rohina and Aparahna?

Divide the daylight from sunrise to sunset into 15 equal parts: the eighth is Kutupa and the ninth is Rohina. Divide daylight into five parts: the fourth is Aparahna.

Kutupa runs from 7/15 to 8/15 of daylight, Rohina from 8/15 to 9/15, and Aparahna from 3/5 to 4/5. Aparahna therefore begins when Rohina ends. One such muhurta is 48 minutes only when daylight is exactly 12 hours.

Kutupa is traditionally regarded as a favourable period for beginning Shraddha. Observances may continue through Rohina and the subsequent period up to the end of Aparahna, subject to the relevant tithi. These are not fixed clock times that apply to every city.

How do I use the tithi of death?

For the general Mahalaya selection, the corresponding tithi name is used whether death occurred in Shukla or Krishna Paksha. For example, a death on Shukla Ashtami or Krishna Ashtami is matched to the Mahalaya Ashtami Shraddha date.

Annual Shraddha and Mahalaya Shraddha are different observances. This fortnight's calendar does not replace the annual date based on the lunar month, paksha and tithi of death. Use the annual Shraddha finder for that purpose.

First-year rites, the status of Sapindikarana, married women who died while their husbands were living, renunciates and unnatural deaths involve additional customary rules. The general selector alone cannot settle those cases. Confirm the applicable procedure with your priest.

What if the person died on Purnima?

Bhadrapada Purnima Shraddha, observed before Pitru Paksha, is a separate Parvana Shraddha. It appears in the calendar but is not presented as the beginning of the Mahalaya Krishna fortnight.

This finder follows the tradition of performing Mahalaya Shraddha on Amavasya for those who died on Purnima. Selecting Shukla–Purnima therefore returns Sarva Pitru Amavasya. Confirm your family tradition if you are unsure.

More about this rule

Maha Bharani Shraddha

Maha Bharani Shraddha is associated with Bharani Nakshatra prevailing during Aparahna in the Mahalaya fortnight. It cannot be tied to one fixed tithi every year. We must examine the day and duration of Bharani's Aparahna overlap.

The nakshatra's start, end and assigned date are shown for your selected place. Decide how to observe this special Shraddha according to your tradition.

More about this rule

Magha Shraddha

Tradition associates Magha Nakshatra with the ancestors. During Mahalaya, the day on which Magha prevails during Aparahna is used for Magha Shraddha. If it overlaps Aparahna on two days, this calculation selects the longer overlap.

The specific combination called Magha Trayodashi requires both Magha Nakshatra and Trayodashi Tithi to prevail during Aparahna. Every Magha Shraddha should not be called Magha Trayodashi.

More about this rule

If the tithi is unknown: Sarva Pitru Amavasya

Sarva Pitru Amavasya has special significance when the tithi of death is unknown or the relevant Shraddha could not be performed during the fortnight. It is also called Mahalaya Amavasya and is observed in remembrance of the family's ancestors.

If the date and time of death are known but the tithi is not, use the finder above. If an unknown time leaves two possible tithis, do not choose one by guesswork. Confirm it using family information and your priest's guidance.

What should I prepare in advance?

Write down the gotra, ancestors' names, relationships and any known death tithis. Find the date for the place of the ceremony and discuss the time with your priest. Darbha grass, sesame seeds, materials for Pinda Pradana and meal arrangements can be prepared according to their instructions.

Give priority to devotion, cleanliness and family custom over display. There is no need to approach ancestral rites with fear. Remembering our elders with gratitude and understanding the procedure that applies to us are central to the observance.

Can I use this page every year?

The ordinary page link calculates dates for the current year. Change the year to view an earlier or upcoming year. If you arrive using a link containing an old year, select Current year.

The calendar contains Purnima and the 15 Krishna Paksha tithis. Two tithis may share a date, and a date may be a Shunya Shraddha day. Sixteen rows therefore do not necessarily mean sixteen different civil dates.

Calculation basis

Tithi and nakshatra timings come from the Swiss Ephemeris calculations used by OnlineJyotish's monthly Shraddha tool. Local sunrise and sunset determine the time divisions, and the same Aparahna-overlap rule assigns the dates.

I provide this calendar to help you identify the date and relevant periods. Discuss eligibility to perform the rite, special observances and family customs with your priest.

Monthly Shraddha tithis · Annual Shraddha finder · Our calculation method