Purpose
Shraddh is the loving remembrance of departed family. Tarpan (water offerings) and pind daan (rice balls) are made with the names and gotra of ancestors. Many NRI families ask us to perform it at a tirth on their behalf when travelling to India is not possible.
Benefits
- Honours parents, grandparents and lineage
- Traditional remedy for Pitru Dosh indications
- Can be performed at a tirth on your behalf
- Family can join by video to take sankalp (where available)
When to perform
Pitru Paksha (Bhadrapada Krishna paksha), Amavasya, the tithi of the death anniversary, or at a tirth visit.
Vidhi — step by step
- Sankalp with names and gotra of ancestors
- Ganesh and Vishnu smaran
- Tarpan with water, black sesame and kusha
- Pind daan (rice balls with sesame and honey)
- Brahmin bhojan / feeding of cows, crows and dogs (Panchabali)
- Dakshina and daan
Samagri (items needed) – and where to find it abroad
For online pujas we send a printable list before the day. Most items are sold at Indian grocery stores and by online Indian grocers in the USA, UK, Canada and Australia; the list marks what is essential and suggests a substitute for anything you can't find locally. For tirth pujas, our pandits arrange everything.
- Kusha grass
- Black sesame, barley, rice
- Honey, ghee, milk
- White flowers and tulsi
- Plates (pattal) made of leaves
- White cloth
What to set up at home
- A clean, quiet corner or table facing east or north if you can, with a cloth for the altar (chowki).
- A picture or murti of Pitris, a lamp (diya), incense and a small plate (thali) for offerings.
- The samagri from our list laid out within reach, plus a jug of water and a small bowl for achaman.
- A phone or laptop on a stand so pandit ji can see the altar, with charger plugged in and notifications muted.
- Names, gotra and the wish (sankalp) for each family member written down, so the sankalp goes smoothly.
Duration & pandits
1.5 – 2.5 hours; 1–2 pandit(s).
Booking from abroad: time zones & what we send you
You choose a date and send a request (or message us on WhatsApp). We reply with a muhurat for your city, written in your local time and in IST, because our pandits work from India. Daylight-saving changes in the USA, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand shift the gap to India by an hour, so we recheck the time when a clock change falls near your date.
- Before the puja: the confirmed time in both zones, the dakshina, the samagri list and a short guide to setting up the altar.
- On the day: a Zoom / Google Meet / WhatsApp video link. Relatives in India or other countries can join the same call.
- Language: the mantras are in Sanskrit; pandit ji explains each step in Hindi or English.
How you'll know it was done
The puja is not done out of sight: it happens live on the video call with you. Pandit ji reads out the sankalp with your names, gotra and wish while you watch, and guides each offering you make at home. You receive the recording after the puja, and for pujas at a tirth in India we also send photos. Every muhurat is confirmed to you in writing beforehand.
Free tools that go with this puja
Also available at a tirth in India
New to online puja? Read how online puja works · Your pandit: Pandit Shastri Gyan Nidhi Pandey · More pujas for ancestors
Puja is a spiritual practice. We do not promise specific outcomes, and puja is never a substitute for medical, legal or financial advice.
