Ancestor Records at Gaya
For many families, their ancestry is a major part of what makes them who they are. However, finding records that date back long ago can be difficult and time-consuming. The city of Gaya in India has had records stored for over 300 years.
Families everywhere want to find their roots. Records are the best tool available for this purpose, and Gaya’s 300-year-old records have already proven helpful in tracing ancestry.
Pind Daan is a Hindu ceremony that celebrates the end of one’s life and their transition to what is considered a better place. This ceremony has been around for hundreds of years and is still practised today in various parts of India. Pind Daan is based on the concept of Karma but does not believe that one does not have control over their own actions and instead believe that their actions are predetermined for them. They also believe that good deeds will eventually lead to a better life and vice versa.
Want to conduct pind-daan (salvation rites) for your ancestors in Gaya, Bihar, during Pitrupaksha (the Hindu month dedicated to remembering the deceased), but don’t know their names? Don’t be concerned. If one of the priests (pandas) here has visited this town to conduct the pind-daan of your forebears, they may assist you in tracing your ancestors back many generations.
All of the individuals who come here to conduct pind-daan are recorded in the pandas’ genealogy. These “panda-pothis,” which date back 250 to 300 years, are one of the reasons why even non-resident Indians and foreigners of Indian descent use them to trace their family history.
The other is the “dastakhat” log, which maintains track of visitors’ signatures, as well as their name, number, and page number in the log, among other things. The third volume includes information on the guests’ professions and present workplaces. This pothi also keeps up-to-date information on where the guests are currently residing.
