Pitru Paksha 2027 Dates: 15–29 September, Shraddha & Mahalaya
Pitru Paksha 2027 begins with Purnima Shraddha on Wednesday, 15 September 2027 (the first Pratipada Shraddha is on 16 September) and ends with Sarva Pitru Amavasya (Mahalaya Amavasya) on Wednesday, 29 September 2027.
| Purnima Shraddha | Wednesday, 15 September 2027 |
| Pitru Paksha begins (Pratipada Shraddha) | Thursday, 16 September 2027 |
| Sarva Pitru Amavasya / Mahalaya | Wednesday, 29 September 2027 |
| Amavasya tithi (IST, approx.) | 10:54 AM, 29 Sep to 8:05 AM, 30 Sep 2027 |
| Next day | Sharad Navratri begins, 30 September 2027 |
Shraddha muhurats on Sarva Pitru Amavasya (New Delhi, calculated)
| Period | Time (29 September 2027) |
|---|---|
| Kutup muhurat | about 11:47 AM – 12:35 PM |
| Rohina muhurat | about 12:35 PM – 1:23 PM |
| Aparahna kaal | about 1:23 PM – 3:46 PM |
Kutup, Rohina and Aparahna are the traditional windows for shraddha. We calculated them from New Delhi sunrise (6:13 AM) and sunset (6:09 PM) using the standard division of the day; the Amavasya tithi times are converted to IST from Drik Panchang. Check your family priest or local panchang for the shraddha date of a specific tithi.
What is Pitru Paksha?
Pitru Paksha (“fortnight of the ancestors”), also called Shraddha Paksha or Mahalaya Paksha, is the 15-day lunar period in which Hindus honour their ancestors (pitrs) with shraddha rituals, tarpan (water offerings) and food offerings. It falls in the waning fortnight of Ashvin in the Purnimanta calendar (Bhadrapada in the Amanta calendar), immediately before Sharad Navratri.
How is the shraddha date chosen?
- Shraddha for a person is performed on the tithi (lunar day) on which they died, regardless of the month.
- Navami (Matru Navami): traditionally for mothers and married women who died before their husbands.
- Chaturdashi: for those who died by accident, violence or weapons.
- Sarva Pitru Amavasya: for all ancestors, including those whose tithi is not known; the most important day of the fortnight.
How shraddha is performed
- Tarpan: offering water mixed with black sesame and kusha grass, usually facing south.
- Pind daan: offering rice balls (pindas); Gaya in Bihar is the most important place for pind daan.
- Feeding: food is offered to Brahmins, cows, crows and dogs; crows are considered messengers to the ancestors.
- Charity: donations of food, clothes and money.
- Restraint: many families avoid new purchases, weddings and celebrations during this fortnight.
Mahalaya in Bengal
In West Bengal, Mahalaya Amavasya is also the day that heralds Durga Puja. Families rise before dawn to listen to the radio programme Mahishasura Mardini, and tarpan is offered at the ghats of the Hooghly.
Frequently asked questions
When does Pitru Paksha 2027 start and end?
It runs from Purnima Shraddha on 15 September to Sarva Pitru Amavasya on 29 September 2027.
When is Mahalaya 2027?
Wednesday, 29 September 2027.
