The general process, guided by a Pandit in Haridwar, usually involves:
- Purification: Taking a holy bath (Snan) in the Ganges River at one of the designated Ghats.
- Wearing Appropriate Attire: Donning clean, white traditional clothes like a dhoti and kurta.
- Sankalpa: Making a vow or resolution to perform the ritual for specific ancestors.
- Invocation: Praying to deities like Lord Ganesha and Lord Vishnu, and invoking the ancestors.
- Pinda Preparation: Making Pindas (round balls) typically from rice flour, barley flour, honey, ghee, milk, and black sesame seeds.
- Pinda Offering: Offering the prepared Pindas to the ancestors while chanting specific mantras provided by the Pandit. Seven pinds are often offered, with one specifically for the recently deceased.
- Tarpan: Offering water mixed with black sesame seeds to quench the thirst of ancestral spirits.
- Brahmin Bhoj (Optional but recommended): Offering food to Brahmins, which is believed to satisfy the ancestors further.
- Dakshina: Offering fees/gifts to the presiding Pandit.
