Pitru Paksha is the dark fortnight of Ashwina set apart for shraddha and tarpan to one's ancestors, and Gaya in Bihar is held to be the most meritorious place in India to perform these rites. Through the fortnight (September–October) pilgrims gather at the Vishnupad temple and the banks of the Falgu for pind daan, closing on Sarvapitri Amavasya, the Mahalaya new moon.
When: Ashwina Krishna Paksha — the fortnight from the full moon of Bhadrapada to Sarvapitri (Mahalaya) Amavasya (September–October)
Where: Gaya, Bihar — the Vishnupad temple, the Falgu riverbank and the traditional vedis around the town
Deity: The pitrs (ancestors), honoured before Lord Vishnu as Gadadhara at Vishnupad
Observance: Pind daan (rice-ball offerings), tarpan (water libations), shraddha rites through a pandit, and feeding of Brahmins and the poor
Regional name: Pitru Paksha / Pitri Paksha · Shradh (colloquial north India) · the Gaya rites are called Gaya Shraddha or pind daan at Gaya ji
Why Gaya, and why this fortnight
Hindu tradition assigns the dark fortnight of Ashwina to the pitrs — the departed ancestors — who are said to draw near their descendants and receive the offerings made in their name. Shraddha performed in these days is held to nourish three generations on each side and to ease the ancestors' onward journey. Gaya's pre-eminence rests on its sthala purana: tradition holds that the demon Gayasura, sanctified by his devotion, was pressed beneath this land by Lord Vishnu, who granted that rites performed upon it would liberate the departed. The Vishnupad temple enshrines what devotees revere as the footprint of Vishnu set in stone, and the Ramayana tradition tells that Rama himself came to Gaya to offer pind for his father Dasharatha. For these reasons the scriptures of pilgrimage rank Gaya Shraddha as the fullest form of ancestral duty, one that many families hope to perform at least once.
How the rites are performed
The pilgrim, most often a son or senior male of the family though widows and daughters also increasingly perform the rites, arrives with the names and gotra of the departed. Under the guidance of the hereditary Gayawal pandits, he bathes in the Falgu — a river that flows largely beneath its sandy bed, itself explained by legend — and offers tarpan, libations of water and black sesame. The heart of the rite is pind daan: balls of cooked rice, barley flour, sesame and ghee offered on the riverbank, at the Vishnupad temple and at other prescribed vedis; an extended circuit takes in many such altars over several days, while a compact rite is completed in one. The fortnight closes on Sarvapitri Amavasya, the Mahalaya new moon, when offerings may be made for all ancestors, including those whose death tithi is unknown. Feeding Brahmins, the poor, cows and crows completes the shraddha.
Observing Pitru Paksha from Ottawa & Canada
The journey to Gaya is a once-in-a-lifetime undertaking for many families, and some Ottawa households plan such a trip around the fortnight or engage a trusted pandit in Gaya to perform rites in an ancestor's name. But the essential duties of Pitru Paksha do not require travel. At home in Canada one can offer daily tarpan with water and black sesame facing south, prepare the departed's favourite food and set a portion aside for crows, cook sattvic meals, and give dana — food or donations — in the ancestors' name. The death tithi of each ancestor within the fortnight is the traditional day for that person's shraddha, with Sarvapitri Amavasya as the catch-all day. Many families also read the Bhagavad Gita or Vishnu Sahasranama during these days. Check the site's calendar for this year's Mahalaya date in Ottawa.
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Questions
What is pind daan?
Pind daan is the offering of pindas — balls of cooked rice or barley flour mixed with sesame and ghee — to one's ancestors during shraddha. At Gaya the pindas are offered at the Falgu riverbank, the Vishnupad temple and other traditional vedis.
Why is Gaya considered the best place for shraddha?
Tradition holds that Lord Vishnu sanctified the land of Gaya with the boon that rites performed there liberate the departed; the Vishnupad temple preserves his revered footprint. Pilgrimage texts therefore rank Gaya Shraddha above shraddha performed elsewhere, and the epics tell of Rama offering pind there for Dasharatha.
Can Pitru Paksha rites be done at home in Canada?
Yes. Daily tarpan with water and sesame, shraddha on the ancestor's death tithi, feeding others and giving dana in the ancestors' name are all fully valid at home. Sarvapitri Amavasya (Mahalaya) covers all ancestors whose tithi is not known.
What should be avoided during Pitru Paksha?
Custom in north India sets aside auspicious beginnings — weddings, griha pravesh, major purchases — during the fortnight, and most observant families keep a simple sattvic diet. The days are for remembrance, gratitude and giving rather than celebration.
Source: Ancestral shraddha tradition of Gaya, Bihar, centred on the Vishnupad temple and the Falgu river. Regional versions may vary — this text follows the version most widely used in community worship.