Shradh Dates 2026: Start Date, End Date & Pitru Paksha Calendar

Shradh is performed on the lunar tithi on which your ancestor died, not on the Gregorian anniversary, which is why the date moves each year. During Pitru Paksha — 26 September to 10 October 2026 — each of the sixteen days corresponds to one tithi, and a family observes on the day matching their ancestor’s. Where the tithi is unknown, Sarva Pitru Amavasya on the closing day covers every ancestor at once.

Below is the full 2026 calendar, the named observances within the fortnight and who each one belongs to, the monthly amavasya dates for families observing outside Pitru Paksha, and what to do if the date is missed.

Pitru paksha 2026 — the tithi calendar

The named days, and who each one is for

Maha Bharani

Observed when the Bharani nakshatra falls within the fortnight — 29 September in 2026. Tradition holds that shradh performed on Maha Bharani carries the merit of a shradh at Gaya, which makes it the day many families choose when they cannot travel there. It is observed in addition to, not instead of, the family’s own tithi.

Dwitiya — dooj ka shradh

The second lunar day, 28 September in 2026, widely called dooj in north India. For ancestors who died on the dwitiya tithi of any month.

Chaturthi — pitar chauth

The fourth lunar day, 30 September in 2026, known in many households as pitar chauth or chauth ka shradh.

Saptami

The seventh lunar day, 2 October in 2026. One of the more commonly asked-after days, usually phrased as saptami ka shradh kab hai.

Navami — avidhava navami and matra navami

4 October in 2026, and the day with the most specific meaning in the fortnight. Avidhava Navami is for married women who died before their husbands — avidhava meaning one who did not become a widow. It is also observed as Matra Navami, the day for mothers and for women ancestors generally. Families who have lost a mother commonly observe this day whether or not her tithi falls here.

Magha Shradh

7 October in 2026, falling alongside Dwadashi. For those who renounced the world as sannyasis, and for ancestors born under the Magha nakshatra.

Trayodashi — teras

8 October in 2026, called teras across north India. Traditionally associated with rites for departed children and young adults, and observed for any ancestor whose tithi is trayodashi.

Chaturdashi — pitra chaudas and ghata chaturdashi

9 October in 2026. Known as pitra chaudas, and as Ghata Chaturdashi. This is the day set aside for those who died by accident, violence or any unnatural cause — a death outside the ordinary course, for which the tradition reserves its own day.

Sarva Pitru Amavasya

10 October in 2026, the closing day and the most important of the sixteen. Also called Pitra Moksha Amavasya and Mahalaya Amavasya. It covers every ancestor of the family at once, which makes it the day for anyone whose death tithi is unknown, for ancestors beyond living memory, and for families who missed their own tithi earlier in the fortnight.

Which date belongs to your family

Take the lunar tithi on which the person died and find it in the table above. If your family records the death by the Gregorian date only, a pandit can convert it — give the date, the approximate time, and the place, and the tithi follows. If the records are lost entirely, observe on Sarva Pitru Amavasya.

Where two tithis fall on one day, as several do in 2026, both observances are valid on that date and the pandit will set the muhurat so they do not collide.

Shradh outside pitru paksha

The annual Varshik Shraddh falls on the death tithi each year. Masik Shradh is observed monthly through the first year. Sapindi Shradh marks the twelfth or thirteenth day after a death, when the departed joins the ancestors. Tripindi Shradh is performed where rites have lapsed across generations. Nandimukha precedes an auspicious family event. Amavasya of any month serves where none of these can be kept.

Shradh and tarpan are not the same

The complete Shradh guide sets out the vidhi, the eight kutapa and the food rules in full.

Rules during the fortnight

Keep a sattvic diet — no meat, fish, eggs, alcohol, onion or garlic. Offer water daily where you can, even without the full rite. Feed a cow, a dog, a crow and an ant, and give to someone in need. Do not turn anyone away hungry during these sixteen days.

Hold back anything auspicious until the fortnight closes — a marriage, a house move, a new business, a significant purchase. Avoid cutting hair or nails on the day of your own shraddha. The fortnight is a period of obligation, not of misfortune, and it is not a time to be apprehensive about.

If you missed the date

Observe on Sarva Pitru Amavasya, which closes the fortnight and covers every ancestor. If the whole fortnight has passed, the next amavasya of any month serves, and the annual tithi comes round again. Where the rites have lapsed across several years there is no penance owed for the delay — perform them properly on the next available date and continue annually. Where they have lapsed across generations, a pandit may suggest Tripindi Shradh.

Where to perform it

At home is proper and most families do so. At a tirtha, Gaya stands first for ancestral rites, then Prayagraj at the Triveni Sangam, then Kashi and Haridwar. The Pitru Paksha guide covers what happens on the day, and the comparison of places covers each tirtha with prices.

Families abroad join by live video while the pandit performs the rite at the tirtha, with the sankalp taken in your name — see the guide for families abroad.