Śrāddha

Not to be confused with Śraddhā.

Śrāddha (Sanskrit: श्राद्ध), is a period of time in the Hindu calendar during which Hindus perform rituals to pay homage to their pitṛs (ancestors).^[1] Taking part in specific rituals at this time is believed to provide peace to the ancestors in their afterlife. It is performed on the death anniversaries of the departed as per the Hindu Calendar. In addition it is also performed for the entire community of 'pitr' – both from paternal and maternal side – collectively during the Pitri Paksha or Shraaddha paksha ('fortnight of ancestors'), followed immediately by Sharad Navaratri in autumn.^[2][3][4]

Rituals of Śrāddha in a Hindu family

Śrāddha refers to a set of Hindu rites performed to honor and nourish deceased ancestors (pitṛs). The rites typically include offerings of food (often riceballs called pinda), libations of water (tarpana), recitation of mantras, and gifts to Brahmins. Śrāddha is commonly observed during the fortnight of Pitru Paksha in the lunar month of Bhādrapada/Āśvina, as well as on individual death anniversaries (tithi śrāddha).^[5][6]

Etymology

The Sanskrit word śrāddha derives from śraddhā (“faith, devotion”). In ritual parlance, it denotes acts performed “in faith” for ancestors, especially offerings of food and water intended for their welfare in the afterlife.^[7]

Scriptural basis

Śrāddha is discussed in Dharmasūtras, Dharmaśāstras, and Purāṇas, which outline eligibility, timing, recipients, and ritual details. Prescriptive material appears in the Āpastamba and Gautama Dharmasūtras, the Manu Smṛti, and later digests; the Purāṇas (e.g., Garuda Purāṇa) emphasize the salvific benefits of feeding ancestors and the poor.^{[8][9][10][11]}

Ritual practice

Although practices vary regionally, a typical śrāddha includes:

1. Purification and sankalpa (statement of intent).
2. Tarpana: libations of water mixed with sesame seeds offered with mantras.
3. Preparation and offering of pinda: balls of cooked rice (often with barley flour, sesame, and ghee) offered to three paternal/maternal generations of ancestors.
4. Brahmana-bhojana and dāna: feeding learned Brahmins and making gifts (food, cloth, dakṣiṇā), understood as proxy offerings to ancestors.
5. Prayāścitta/closing: concluding prayers for peace (śānti).^[12][13]

Timing

Śrāddha is observed:

• During Pitru Paksha (the dark fortnight preceding the new moon of Bhādrapada/Āśvina), culminating in Sarvapitri Amāvasyā (the new moon for all ancestors).
• On death anniversaries (tithi śrāddha) for specific ancestors.
• On prescribed lunar days in some traditions (e.g., monthly māsika rites).^[14][15]

Places and settings

Śrāddha may be performed at home shrines, temples, or river ghats. Certain pilgrimage centers are especially associated with ancestor rites, notably Gaya on the Phalgu River (Bihar), as well as Haridwar, Prayagraj (Allahabad), and Varanasi. These sites provide priests, ghats, and facilities for pindadāna and tarpaṇa.^[16][17]

Śrāddha period

The scripture mandate performing 96 Śrāddha karmas. However, these practices are difficult to be adhered to. In addition, once in year offerings are to a larger universe of forefathers – during the pitr paksha. In Hindu amanta calendar (ending with amavasya), second half of the month Bhadrapada is called Pitru Paksha: Pitṛpakṣa or Śrāddha pakṣa and its amavasya (new moon) is called sarvapitri amavasya. This part is considered inauspicious in muhurtaśāstra (electional astrology). At this time (generally September) crops in India and Nepal are ready and the produce is offered as a mark of respect and gratitude (by way of pinda) first to the ancestors be they parents or forefathers before other festivals like Navaratri begin.

Many people visit Hindu pilgrimage sites to perform, Śrāddha ceremonies, like Pehowa, Kurukshetra, Haridwar, Gokarna, Nashik, Gaya etc. Haridwar is also known for its Hindu genealogy registers.

Rituals

A mass Pinda Daana being done at the Jagannath Ghat, Kolkata, at end of the Pitru Paksha

In practice, the karta (person who performs the Śrāddha):

(1) Invites Brahmanas (priests) that day, invokes in them the divinity of his/her parent, worships and feeds them.

(2) Performs a homa (fire ritual), appeasing Agni and Soma – the deities who transmit the offerings to the ancestors, nourish and protect them.

(3) Offers balls of rice to the departed souls ("pinda daana", offered to the Pitṛs, the ancestral spirits).The offerings are made to three generations i.e. father, grandfather and great-grandfather / mother, fathers' mother, fathers' grandmother.

(4) Crows are also revered in Hinduism and during Śrāddha the practice of offering food or pinda to crows is still current.^[18]

The karta extends hospitality to the priest and concludes the ceremony by giving "dakshina" (fees) to the brahmanaas. (There are various other actions done to show respect to the Brahmanaas, like washing their feet etc. during the course of shraaddha).

Since this is one of the more important and noble "Saṃskāras" (rituals meant to cleanse the mind and soul) that the Hindu sages have envisaged, it is imperative that the performer of the ritual^[19] understands what he or she is doing.^[20] Only then will the true intent of the ritual be fulfilled and the performer of the ritual feel completely gratified. Otherwise, the ritual becomes just a mechanical exercise on one's part.

After death, the family performs the final rituals and holam. These rites are a reflection of a person's life. They may also include Santhi-homam and Agni-homam. After the Santhi-homam, the body is sprinkled with holy water to cleanse it. Other rituals include offering food and applying herbs to the body. The Havan is performed in order to appease the God of Fire, Agni. During the homam, verses are recited while the performer asks the god to forgive the deceased's mistakes and sins.^[21]

Regional variations

Ritual details differ across regions and communities:

• In many South Indian traditions, offerings are placed on banana leaves and may include additional cooked dishes.
• In Bengal and parts of eastern India, elaborate community feeding accompanies the rite during the fortnight.
• In Nepal, ancestor offerings are prominent during **Gokarna Aunsi** (Kuse Aunsi).^[22][23]

Theology and aims

Śrāddha expresses filial duty (pitṛ-ṛṇa) and the ongoing bond between the living and the dead. Offerings symbolically “nourish” the subtle bodies of the ancestors and are believed to aid their journey toward auspicious states. Classical texts link proper śrāddha to prosperity and wellbeing of descendants, while neglect is framed as ritually and morally harmful.^[24][25]

Modern practice and discussions

Modern practice ranges from orthodox ritual performance with priests to simplified family observances. Contemporary discussions address ecological impacts of mass rites at riverbanks, the use of biodegradable materials for offerings, and debates over the symbolic vs. literal understanding of ancestral nourishment.^[26]

See also

• Antyesti
• Brahmin
• Hindu genealogy registers at Chintpurni, Himachal Pradesh
• Hindu genealogy registers at Haridwar
• Hindu genealogy registers at Jawalamukhi, Himachal Pradesh
• Hindu genealogy registers at Kurukshetra, Haryana
• Hindu genealogy registers at Peohwa, Haryana
• Hindu genealogy registers at Trimbakeshwar, Maharashtra
• Hindu genealogy registers at Varanasi
• Pitrs
• Sandhyavandhanam
• Vedic priesthood
• Śrāddha (Buddhadharma)

• Pinda (riceball)
• Pitru Paksha
• Tarpana
• Ancestor worship
• Gaya
• Hindu rituals