Shraddha Dates 2026 (Pitru Paksha)

Shraddha rites are performed during Pitru Paksha — the 16 lunar days from Bhadrapada Purnima to Ashwina Amavasya (Sep/Oct) — to honour and propitiate one\

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Shraddha and Pitru Paksha

Shraddha is the rite offered to ancestors (pitru). The main observance falls in Pitru Paksha, the fortnight of the waning Moon in the lunar month of Bhadrapada — sixteen tithis running from the Purnima to the Amavasya known as Sarva Pitru Amavasya or Mahalaya Amavasya.

The rite is performed on the tithi matching the ancestor's date of death, not on a fixed calendar date. Where the tithi is unknown, Sarva Pitru Amavasya on the final day covers all ancestors, which is why it draws the largest observance of the fortnight.

Timing the rite

Shraddha is traditionally performed during Aparahna kaal — the fourth of the five equal parts of the daylight period, roughly early to mid afternoon — rather than in the morning used for most other rites. Kutup and Rauhina muhurats within that window are considered the most suitable.

Because tithis begin and end at points in the day rather than at midnight, the correct date for a given tithi shifts by location. Dates on this page are computed per the Lahiri ayanamsa against local sunrise.