Three handfuls at the Phalgu,
water that the Vayu Purana names Vishnu himself.

The Baudhayana Dharmasutra prescribes the procedure: stand in the river until the water level reaches the navel, or sit on the riverbank. Face East for the deva-tarpan (offerings to the deities); face South for the pitri-tarpan (offerings to the departed ancestors). Tarpan to the deities is offered with the tips of the fingers, to the sages with the base of the little finger and the third finger, and to the pitris with the middle of the thumb and the first finger. The darbha (dried kusha grass twig) is used in three different forms: the tip alone for deva-tarpan, folded in half for rishi-tarpan, and tip-and-root for pitri-tarpan. Anjali count — one handful for each deity, two for each sage, three for each ancestor; three handfuls each for matrutrayi (mother, grandmother, great-grandmother), one for the other female ancestors.

Tarpan is valid at any river ghat per Baudhayana — every Brahmin householder offers daily tarpan after the morning bath as one of the five mahayajnas. But at Gaya, the rite intensifies: the Vayu Purana, in its Gaya Mahatmya, names the Phalgu river an incarnation of Vishnu himself. The Brahma Purana likewise extols the practice of tarpan with shaak (the darbha-grass + til + water offering) and promises that no person of the karta's lineage shall remain unhappy. Pitrupaksha tarpan at the Phalgu is the most powerful annual window; daily tarpan during the 16-day fortnight is the karta's most direct path to pitri-tushti (the pleasing of the ancestors).

The eldest son holds the first authority to conduct tarpan to the ancestors as part of his shradh-karma obligation. After marriage, the son performs tarpan with his wife. If the eldest son is deceased, the younger son carries out tarpan, pind-daan, and shradh karma. In the absence of a son, the grandson (son's son); in the absence of male issue from the deceased, the brother; if the departed had only daughters, the daughter's son holds the right. We coordinate the family-relation verification before the ceremony.

Tarpan is fundamentally a daily nitya-karma — Manusmriti chapter 3 lists it among the five mahayajnas every Brahmin householder performs after the morning bath. Beyond the daily obligation: (1) Pitrupaksha — the 16-day fortnight in Ashwina Krishna Paksha, with Sarva Pitru Amavasya as the universal-ancestors closing day; (2) the annual death-anniversary Tithi — the karta's lifelong family obligation; (3) monthly Amavasya — the recurring touchpoint between Pitrupakshas; (4) Parvan Shraddha (the day after which pitri-tarpan should be conducted). Pitrupaksha 2026 runs September 26 — October 10. Booking 2-3 weeks in advance during this fortnight is recommended as Phalgu ghat coordination is dense.

Three related but doctrinally distinct rites. Tarpan is the water-libation offered with darbha twigs and the prescribed anjali count — performed daily by every householder, with peak intensity at Gaya during Pitrupaksha. Pind Daan is the specific pinda-offering at sacred vedis — rice-flour balls offered with mantras, canonical at Gaya per the Vayu Purana Gaya Mahatmya. Shradh is the broader institution combining tarpan + dakshina + Brahmin bhojan + (in Pitrupaksha) pinda offering. Tarpan can be performed standalone as the daily rite; shradh requires Brahmin bhojan as its sustaining component; pind-daan is the Gaya-specific moksha-direction rite. Many families combine all three during Pitrupaksha; we offer combined packages on request.

Yes. Online tarpan is performed by a Gayawal Panda at the Phalgu ghat with live video proof — the karta recites Sankalp remotely (over Zoom or WhatsApp), the panda performs the three-direction tarpan with the prescribed darbha and anjali per Baudhayana, and gangajal is couriered to the family after the rite. Names and gotra are confirmed remotely before the sankalp. The Vayu Purana Gaya Mahatmya does not condition the merit of tarpan on physical presence at the ghat — the Sankalp and the offering define the rite, both of which can be authentically performed with the karta participating remotely. Online tarpan carries the same scriptural validity as in-person attendance.

The darbha (dried kusha grass twig) is the prescribed medium for water-libation per the Baudhayana Dharmasutra. The three forms — tip alone for the deities (deva-tarpan), folded in half for the sages (rishi-tarpan), and tip-and-root for the ancestors (pitri-tarpan) — physically distinguish the three offerings even when performed in sequence. The grass acts as a conductor between the karta's hand and the recipient lokas; per shastra tradition, water poured without the darbha is incomplete tarpan. Our packages include all the required darbha twigs prepared in advance.

The Manusmriti, in its Pitri-yajna section (chapter 3), lists the five mahayajnas every grihastha performs after the morning bath: Brahma-yajna (Vedic study), Pitri-yajna (tarpan to ancestors), Deva-yajna (offering to deities), Bhuta-yajna (offering to elemental spirits), and Manushya-yajna (hospitality to guests). Pitri-yajna is fundamentally jala-tarpana — daily water libation to the three classes (deva / rishi / pitri). The rite is brief (5-10 minutes) and forms the karta's lifelong obligation. If the daily Shraddha is not practicable, the Manusmriti explicitly notes that one should at minimum perform tarpan. Parvan Shraddha (the day after which pitri-tarpan is performed) is the additional periodic intensification.