The Ganpati idols have gone into the water, the pandals are coming down, and the calendar turns to the quietest fortnight of the Hindu year. Pitru Paksha is not a festival. Nobody decorates for it. It is the period set aside for the people who are no longer here — parents, grandparents, and the generations behind them whose names most families have stopped being able to recite.
The practical question every year is the same: which day is ours? Here is the full 2026 calendar, the timings, and the answer for families who genuinely do not know.
When Is Pitru Paksha 2026?
Pitru Paksha 2026 runs from Saturday, September 26 to Saturday, October 10. It opens with Purnima Shraddh on the 26th and closes with Sarva Pitru Amavasya on the 10th.
Some households count the fortnight from Pratipada Shraddh on Sunday, September 27 instead, treating Purnima Shraddh as a day that sits just outside it. Both counts are correct — it depends on your parampara, and neither changes the day your own family's rite falls on.
The period is also called Mahalaya Paksha, Shraddh Paksha or simply pitru pakhwada. In the North Indian Purnimanta calendar it falls in Ashwin Krishna Paksha; in the South Indian Amanta reckoning the same fortnight is described as Bhadrapada Krishna Paksha. The month name differs, the days do not.
Pitru Paksha 2026 Shraddh Tithi Calendar
Shraddh is performed on the tithi on which the ancestor died — not the English calendar date of their death. Find that tithi in the table below to get your 2026 date.
| Date | Day | Shraddh tithi |
|---|---|---|
| September 26 | Saturday | Purnima Shraddh — fortnight begins |
| September 27 | Sunday | Pratipada Shraddh |
| September 28 | Monday | Dwitiya Shraddh |
| September 29 | Tuesday | Tritiya Shraddh |
| September 30 | Wednesday | Chaturthi Shraddh |
| October 1 | Thursday | Panchami Shraddh |
| October 2 | Friday | Shashthi Shraddh |
| October 3 | Saturday | Saptami + Ashtami Shraddh (combined — tithi kshaya) |
| October 4 | Sunday | Navami Shraddh (Avidhava Navami) |
| October 5 | Monday | Dashami Shraddh |
| October 6 | Tuesday | Ekadashi Shraddh |
| October 7 | Wednesday | Dwadashi Shraddh (Sanyasi Shraddh) |
| October 8 | Thursday | Trayodashi Shraddh |
| October 9 | Friday | Chaturdashi Shraddh (Ghata Chaturdashi) |
| October 10 | Saturday | Sarva Pitru Amavasya (Mahalaya) |
These dates follow a New Delhi panchang reference. Tithis are decided by the position of the moon at local sunrise, so a family performing the rite outside India — or in a city with a very different sunrise — may find the applicable day shifts by one. Confirm for the city where the ceremony will actually happen, not the city you live in.
Why sixteen tithis fit into fifteen days
Pitru Paksha covers sixteen shraddh tithis, Purnima through Amavasya. Lunar tithis run roughly 22 to 26 hours, so they drift against the 24-hour solar day. In some years a tithi begins and ends without ever touching sunrise — a tithi kshaya, a lost tithi.
That is what happens in 2026. Saptami and Ashtami Shraddh are both observed on Saturday, October 3. If your family's tithi is either of those, that is your day. Because combined-tithi days are the one place where panchang traditions most often diverge, it is worth a call to your family purohit if your rite falls in that window.
The Days That Are Different
Sarva Pitru Amavasya — Saturday, October 10
The most important day of the fortnight, and the one to remember if you remember nothing else. On Mahalaya Amavasya, shraddh and tarpan are offered to all ancestors collectively — known and unknown, named and forgotten. It is the correct day when the tithi is not known, when the proper day was missed, or when a family simply observes once.
It goes by several names depending on where you are: Sarvapitri Amavasya, Mahalaya Amavasya, Pitru Amavasya. In Bengal, Mahalaya morning marks the start of the Durga Puja countdown.
Avidhava Navami — Sunday, October 4
Navami is reserved for married women of the family — most often mothers and grandmothers who died while their husbands were still living. It is also called Matri Navami in several traditions, and in many households the day is observed by the daughters-in-law.
Chaturdashi Shraddh — Friday, October 9
Traditionally kept for those who died by accident, weapon or other unnatural cause. Families whose ancestor died on Chaturdashi by natural causes usually perform the rite on Sarva Pitru Amavasya instead.
Maha Bharani Shraddh
Shraddh performed when Bharani nakshatra prevails during the fortnight is held to carry the merit of a Gaya shraddh, and is traditionally observed for someone who passed within the previous year. Because it is a nakshatra-based observance rather than a tithi, its 2026 date is disputed across almanacs — published references place it anywhere between September 29 and early October. This is one to confirm against your own panchang rather than take from a calendar online.
Shraddh Muhurat: The Three Windows
Timing matters here more than it does for most observances. The Manu Smriti prescribes the afternoon for pitru karma, and parvan shraddh is performed in one of three consecutive windows:
| Muhurat | Roughly | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Kutup Muhurat | Late mid-morning | Most favoured of the three |
| Rohina Muhurat | Immediately after Kutup | Second preference |
| Aparahna Kaal | Early afternoon | The window named in the Manu Smriti |
All three are derived from the local sunrise and sunset of that specific day, which is why no single clock time can be published for the whole country. Sunrise differs by around forty minutes between Guwahati and Ahmedabad, and the muhurats move with it. Look up the day and the city together.
Tarpan at Home, Without a Priest
A full Vedic shraddh with pind daan and brahmin bhojan needs a priest who knows your family's procedure. But a household with no access to one is not shut out of the fortnight. A simple, respectful observance:
- Bathe in the morning and clean the space where you will sit.
- Face south — the direction traditionally associated with the ancestral realm.
- Remember the ancestors by name, as far back as you can go.
- Offer water with black til (sesame), and kusha grass if you have it, letting it fall through the fingers.
- Light a diya near a photograph or in the puja space.
- Set aside a portion of the day's food before the family eats.
- Give food, clothing or practical help to someone who needs it — anna daan is, in many traditions, a complete observance in itself.
Mantras, direction and sequence differ across regions and families. If you do not know the full procedure, remembering sincerely and giving generously is better than following unverified ritual instructions found online.
What Families Usually Avoid
Many households keep simple vegetarian food through the fortnight, skipping onion, garlic, alcohol and non-vegetarian food. New purchases, weddings, housewarmings and other mangal karya are generally postponed until after Amavasya — which is part of why the wedding calendar fills up so heavily from mid-October.
These customs vary a great deal by region and household and are not identical rules for every Hindu family. And the fortnight is a period of remembrance, not a shutdown: work, school, exams, medical treatment and necessary travel carry on as usual.
What Comes Next
Pitru Paksha ends on October 10 and Sharad Navratri begins the very next morning, Sunday, October 11, 2026, with Ghatasthapana. Durga Ashtami falls on October 18, Maha Navami on October 19 and Dussehra on Tuesday, October 20. The turn from mourning to celebration is immediate, and deliberate.
Conclusion
Find your tithi in the table, mark the date, and aim for the Kutup-to-Aparahna stretch of that day. If the tithi is lost to time — and in most families it is, by the third generation — October 10 covers everyone. What the fortnight actually asks for is fairly modest: water, a lamp, a name said out loud, and something given to someone who needs it.
For more of this season's calendar, see our guides to Ganesh Chaturthi 2026, Hartalika Teej 2026 and Krishna Janmashtami 2026. If a pilgrimage is on your mind — Gaya, Kashi and Prayagraj are the traditional centres for ancestral rites — our list of the top 10 sacred places in India is a place to start.
Panchang dates are compiled from published almanac data and are indicative for India as a whole. Tithi, nakshatra and muhurat timings vary by city and by tradition; for local timings refer to an authoritative source such as Drik Panchang or your family priest.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does Pitru Paksha start and end in 2026?
Pitru Paksha 2026 begins on Saturday, September 26 with Purnima Shraddh and ends on Saturday, October 10 with Sarva Pitru Amavasya. Some families count the fortnight from Pratipada on September 27 instead; both are correct depending on family tradition.
When is Sarva Pitru Amavasya in 2026?
Sarva Pitru Amavasya, also called Mahalaya Amavasya, falls on Saturday, October 10, 2026. It is the final and most widely observed day of the fortnight, and shraddh performed on it is valid for all ancestors, known and unknown.
What do I do if I do not know my ancestor's tithi?
Perform the shraddh on Sarva Pitru Amavasya, October 10, 2026. That day exists precisely for ancestors whose tithi is unknown, forgotten or unrecorded, and for families who could not observe the correct day.
What is the best time of day to perform shraddh?
The three preferred windows are Kutup Muhurat, Rohina Muhurat and Aparahna Kaal, which together cover roughly late morning to early afternoon. All three are calculated from each day's local sunrise and sunset, so a single national clock time does not apply — check a panchang for your own city.
Why does Pitru Paksha 2026 have 16 tithis in 15 days?
Pitru Paksha covers 16 shraddh tithis from Purnima to Amavasya, but lunar tithis do not line up neatly with solar days. In 2026 one tithi is lost to tithi kshaya, so Saptami and Ashtami Shraddh are both observed on Saturday, October 3.
Is Navratri affected by Pitru Paksha 2026?
No. Pitru Paksha ends on October 10 and Sharad Navratri begins the next day, Sunday, October 11, 2026, with Ghatasthapana. The two periods run back to back without overlapping.