What is a Panda at Gaya and how is he different from a regular pandit?

A Panda at Gaya is a hereditary priest from a specific lineage that has been assigned custodianship over particular vedis (altar sites) and particular regional communities of pilgrims for generations. He maintains the family gotra records (bahi-khata) — handwritten registers that record your ancestors visits to Gaya, sometimes going back 200 to 400 years. A Pandit is a learned priest trained in Vedic ritual but without this institutional, hereditary role. Both can perform a valid Pind Daan, but only a hereditary Panda will have your family ancestral records and will know the specific regional customs — including Odia Shraddha Paddhati — that distinguish your ceremony.