Shraddha

What it is

Shraddha belongs to the Hindu calendar and marks a stretch of time given to the ancestors. The rites performed then are meant to bring the pitṛs, or forebears, peace in whatever life follows this one. A family keeps them on the death anniversary of someone it has lost, working from the Hindu calendar rather than the civil one. Once a year the same rites are offered for the whole body of ancestors, paternal and maternal, in the fortnight known as Pitri Paksha, or Shraaddha paksha. That fortnight ends at the new moon, and Sharad Navaratri begins straight after it.

The word and scripture

The Sanskrit word śrāddha grows out of śraddhā, meaning faith or devotion. In the language of ritual it names acts done in faith for the ancestors, and it is pronounced shraa-dh. The practice is treated in the Dharmasūtras and the Purāṇas. Scripture sets out ninety-six śrāddha karmas, a demanding programme that is hard to carry out in full. Alongside the yearly remembrance of a wider universe of forefathers during Pitri Paksha, these duties make up what the tradition asks. The performer is meant to know why each step is done.

How it is kept

The karta, the person who performs the rite, invites Brahmanas, the priests, on the chosen day and honours the departed parent in them, worshipping and feeding them. Next comes a homa, a fire offering, in which Agni and Soma are asked to carry the gifts to the ancestors and to guard them. Balls of rice, called pinda, are offered to three generations: a father, a grandfather and a great-grandfather, with the same three on the mother's side. Crows, held in reverence, are still given food or pinda. The karta shows hospitality to the priests, washing their feet, and ends with dakshina, a gift of fees.

Where it is done

Shraddha can be performed at a home shrine, in a temple, or on a river ghat, the stepped bank where people reach the water. Some pilgrimage centres have long been tied to ancestor rites. Gaya, on the Phalgu river in Bihar, is the best known of them, and people also travel to Rishikesh, Haridwar, Prayagraj and Varanasi. These places have priests, ghats and the arrangements needed for pindadana, the offering of rice balls, and tarpana, the offering of water. The sources also name Pehowa, Kurukshetra, Gokarna and Nashik. Haridwar keeps registers of Hindu family lines.

Rites after a death

When someone dies, the family carries out the final rites and the holam. These rites are understood as a picture, or reflection, of the life that has ended, so they differ from person to person. A Santhi-homam and an Agni-homam may form part of them, and holy water is used to cleanse the body. Food is offered and herbs are placed on the body. In the Havan, a fire is lit to please Agni, the god of fire, and verses are recited while the performer asks that any mistakes or sins of the dead person be forgiven.

How Shraddha is kept

The karta leads. Brahmanas are invited and honoured, and are fed and worshipped as bearers of the parent's divinity. A homa follows, with Agni and Soma asked to carry the offerings and protect the ancestors. Rice balls, pinda, are set out for three generations: a father, a grandfather and a great-grandfather, and the same three on the mother's side. Crows are given food. The karta offers hospitality to the priests, washes their feet, and finishes by giving dakshina. All of it is done in faith, for the peace of the dead.

When and where

Shraddha falls on the death anniversary of a relative, counted by the Hindu calendar. The whole line of ancestors is remembered once a year in Pitru Paksha, the second half of the month Bhadrapada in the amanta calendar, which ends on the new moon called Sarvapitri Amavasya. In most years this lands in September, just before Navaratri.

The rite is kept in India and Nepal, above all at home shrines, in temples and on river ghats. Certain pilgrimage towns are known for ancestor rites: Gaya, on the Phalgu river in Bihar, along with Rishikesh, Haridwar, Prayagraj and Varanasi. Others named in the sources include Pehowa, Kurukshetra, Gokarna and Nashik. Haridwar also keeps genealogical registers of Hindu families.

What Shraddha means

Those who keep Shraddha see it as a duty owed to family members who have died, and as an act of faith, since the word itself grows out of śraddhā. Offerings are believed to reach the ancestors and to give them peace. The sages counted it among the more noble samskaras, rituals that refine the mind and soul, which is why the performer is asked to understand each step. Done without understanding, it becomes a mechanical exercise.

Questions people ask about Shraddha

See also

Chota Char DhamFour Himalayan shrines in Uttarakhand, visited in one season each yearTheyyamA sacred ritual dance and divine invocation from North Malabar in IndiaKailash Mansarovar YatraA high-altitude pilgrimage to Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar in TibetPretaOfferings and rites for spirits enduring deep hunger across Asian traditions.

Good reading and sources

• Śrāddha on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-05.