Pitru Paksha 2026 Calendar: Shradh Dates, Timings And Rules

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For sixteen days every autumn, a quiet obligation moves through Hindu households. Sons wake before sunrise, face south, and offer water mixed with black sesame to relatives who are no longer alive to receive anything else from them. In 2026, Pitru Paksha begins on Saturday, 26 September and closes on Saturday, 10 October, spanning the waning fortnight of Bhadrapada and Ashwin on the Hindu lunar calendar. If you're unsure which day applies to your family's Shradh, here's what matters this year.

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When Pitru Paksha 2026 Begins And Ends

The fortnight opens with Purnima Shradh on 26 September and moves through consecutive lunar tithis until it culminates in Sarva Pitru Amavasya on 10 October, also called Mahalaya Amavasya. Shradh is performed on the tithi that matches the day the ancestor died, not the Gregorian date. A father who died on Saptami tithi would be remembered on Saptami Shradh this year, which falls on 3 October.

The Timings That Matter Each Day

Scriptural tradition, including the Manu Smriti, sets aside specific windows for Shradh: the Kutup Muhurat in late morning, the Rohina Muhurat that follows it, and the Aparahna Kaal, generally between 1 pm and 3:30 pm, prescribed as the most auspicious stretch for Pitru Karma. Most home rituals take 30 minutes to an hour. Because timings shift by city, it's best to check a local panchang.

Things You Should Know Before You Begin

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• If you don't know your ancestor's exact death tithi, perform the ritual on Sarva Pitru Amavasya (10 October) - it's considered valid for all ancestors, known or unknown.
• Tarpan is usually offered after sunrise, facing south, using water and black sesame seeds.
• Pind Daan involves offerings of rice balls and is traditionally performed by the eldest son or closest male relative, though family custom varies.
• Many households avoid starting new ventures, purchases, or celebrations during this fortnight.
• Feeding a cow, a dog, and a crow - a practice called Kagwal - is common before or after the main ritual.
• A simple, sattvic diet and quiet conduct are generally observed through the period.
• If a specific Shradh date is missed altogether, most priests advise performing it on Sarva Pitru Amavasya rather than skipping it.

Bottomline

Pitru Paksha isn't built around grief so much as accounting: a fixed fortnight each year when families are asked to remember what they owe the people who came before them, and to pay something toward it through Shradh. The dates matter because tradition insists on precision, but the ask underneath is simple. Sixteen days, once a year, to not let the debt go unacknowledged.