Mahalaya Amavasya 2026: Date, Timings, Parvan Shradh Vidhi and Booking in Varanasi

Last updated: 21 September 2026

Quick answer

Mahalaya Amavasya 2026 — also called Sarva Pitru Amavasya — falls on Saturday, 10 October 2026. It is the final and most significant day of Pitru Paksha, which begins with Purnima Shradh on 26 September. Shradh on this day is valid for all ancestors, and it is the correct day when you do not know an ancestor’s death tithi. The prescribed window is Aparahna Kaal, roughly 1:00 pm to 3:30 pm, with Kutup Muhurat from around 11:35 am as the opening period.

If you know the tithi on which an ancestor died, you perform their Shradh on that tithi within Pitru Paksha. If you don’t — and most families, a generation or two on, genuinely don’t — Mahalaya Amavasya is the day the tradition provides for exactly that situation. It is also the day for remembering all ancestors collectively, and for anyone who missed their tithi earlier in the fortnight.

Pitru Paksha 2026: Full Tithi Calendar

Shradh is performed on the tithi matching the ancestor’s date of death. Find it below.

Two notes on this calendar. Some panchangs open the fortnight on 27 September with Pratipada and treat Purnima Shradh on the 26th as preliminary — both readings are in circulation and neither is wrong. And where two tithis combine on one day, as Chaturthi and Panchami do on 30 September, the exact division depends on the local panchang. Confirm both against the Varanasi panchang with your purohit before fixing the day.

Mahalaya Amavasya 2026 Timings

Shradh is not performed at dawn. Manu Smriti prescribes Aparahna Kaal — the fourth part of the day — for Pitru Karma, and the three working windows are these.

These are approximate and sunrise-derived, which means they shift with longitude. Varanasi sits around 83°E, roughly six degrees east of Delhi, so its windows run close to twenty-four minutes earlier than timings published for a Delhi reference. For a Shradh performed in Kashi, have the window recalculated against local sunrise — we do this as part of every booking, at no charge.

Parvan Shradh: The Form Most Families Are Actually Performing

Shradh is not a single rite. The three forms families encounter are worth distinguishing, because they answer different situations and are frequently confused.

Parvan Shradh is what is performed on a parva — an appointed day such as Amavasya or a Pitru Paksha tithi. It addresses six ancestors: father, grandfather and great-grandfather on the paternal side, and the corresponding three on the maternal. Pinds are offered to each line, followed by tarpan and brahman bhojan. It is the standard, correct observance for a family whose rites have been kept up.

If the rites have not been kept up — three years or more skipped, an incomplete cremation, an untimely death — Parvan Shradh alone does not close that gap. That is the situation Tripindi Shradh exists for, and it is performed at Pishach Mochan in Varanasi. Many families perform both in the same Pitru Paksha: Parvan on the ancestor’s tithi, Tripindi on Amavasya or Chaturdashi.

Mahalaya Amavasya Shradh Vidhi

1. Snan and sankalp. Bath, preferably in the Ganga, then the sankalp naming you, your gotra and the ancestors.
2. Invitation and Vishwadeva puja. The brahmans are seated and the presiding deities invoked.
3. Pind daan. Pinds of rice, barley flour, til and ghee offered to each ancestral line.
4. Water with til and kusha, offered with mantra. On Sarva Pitru Amavasya this is made to all ancestors collectively.
5. Brahman bhojan. The feeding of the brahmans — understood as the means by which the offering reaches the ancestors, not an optional courtesy.
6. Panchabali and daan. Portions for cow, crow, dog, deva and ant, then charity — traditionally food, cloth, til, or vessels.

Rules Families Ask About

• Satvik only through the fortnight. No onion, garlic, meat or alcohol. The Shradh meal itself is havishya — simple, without those ingredients.
• The crow. A portion is set aside for the crow, held to carry the offering to the ancestors. Not being visited by one is not a failure of the rite.
• Who performs it. Traditionally the eldest son; in his absence another son, grandson, or in many traditions a daughter or her son. Practice varies by family and region — ask your purohit rather than assuming exclusion.
• New beginnings. Griha Pravesh, weddings and other celebratory ceremonies are avoided during Pitru Paksha. Remedial and ancestral rites are not only permitted but prescribed.
• If you miss the tithi. Perform on Sarva Pitru Amavasya, 10 October. That is what the day is for.

Booking Shradh in Varanasi for Mahalaya Amavasya

Kashi is among the principal sites for Shradh karma, and the ghats and Pishach Mochan are at their busiest in the fortnight’s final week. Purohits and lodging both tighten sharply before 10 October. If you intend to be in Varanasi for Amavasya, book now rather than in October — online pandit booking takes a few minutes.

We arrange Parvan Shradh on your ancestor’s tithi, Pind Daan on the ghats, and Tripindi Shradh at Pishach Mochan where the rites have lapsed. Not sure which applies? Tell us the circumstances and we’ll say plainly which rite fits — including when the simpler one is enough.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is Mahalaya Amavasya 2026?

Saturday, 10 October 2026. It is the final day of Pitru Paksha, which begins with Purnima Shradh on 26 September.

What are the Mahalaya Amavasya 2026 timings?

Kutup Muhurat from roughly 11:35 am, Rohina from about 12:25 pm, and Aparahna Kaal from about 1:15 pm to 3:35 pm — the principal window. These are sunrise-derived and run around twenty-four minutes earlier in Varanasi than in Delhi.

What if I don’t know my ancestor’s death tithi?

Perform the Shradh on Sarva Pitru Amavasya. The day exists precisely for ancestors whose tithi is unknown, and for remembering all ancestors together.

What is the difference between Parvan Shradh and Tripindi Shradh?

Parvan Shradh is the standard tithi-based observance for three paternal and three maternal ancestors. Tripindi Shradh is corrective — performed when rites have lapsed for three or more years or an ancestor died unnaturally.

Can Shradh be performed by a daughter?

Many traditions permit it, particularly where there is no son. Practice varies by family and region, so confirm with your purohit rather than assuming.

Can we hold a wedding or Griha Pravesh during Pitru Paksha?

Celebratory ceremonies are avoided during this fortnight. Ancestral and remedial rites are prescribed rather than restricted.

Why is Varanasi significant for Shradh?

Kashi is among the principal tirthas for ancestral rites, with Pind Daan performed on the Ganga ghats and Tripindi Shradh at Pishach Mochan Kund, named in Kashi Khand Chapter 54 as the tirth of liberation from Pishach Yoni.

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