Pitru Paksha 2026 — 16-Day Shraddha Tithi Dates
Computed, not copied
Pitru Paksha runs from 26 September 2026 to 10 October 2026 this year — every date on this page is read off the actual lunar tithi, sidereal (Lahiri), the same engine behind our Amavasya and Purnima pages, not a table typed out once and left to go stale.
The 16 days, tithi by tithi
Each day is the Gregorian date the tithi governs at sunrise in New Delhi — suryodaya vyapini, the same rule every date on this site follows. A tithi that touches no sunrise (kshaya) shares its neighbour’s date, marked below.
| Day | Date | Tithi Shraddha | For |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 26 September 2026 | Purnima Shraddha | Traditionally the opening day of the fortnight, kept for ancestors who died on a Purnima — and, by many families, as the day to begin the whole observance regardless of the actual death tithi. |
| 2 | 27 September 2026 | Pratipada Shraddha | A general Shraddha day, for ancestors who died during the Pratipada tithi of any lunar month. |
| 3 | 28 September 2026 | Dwitiya Shraddha | A general Shraddha day, for ancestors who died during the Dwitiya tithi of any lunar month. |
| 4 | 29 September 2026 | Tritiya Shraddha | A general Shraddha day, for ancestors who died during the Tritiya tithi of any lunar month. |
| 5 | 30 September 2026 | Chaturthi Shraddha | A general Shraddha day, for ancestors who died during the Chaturthi tithi of any lunar month. |
| 6 | 1 October 2026 | Panchami Shraddha | A general Shraddha day, for ancestors who died during the Panchami tithi of any lunar month. |
| 7 | 2 October 2026 | Shashthi Shraddha | A general Shraddha day, for ancestors who died during the Shashthi tithi of any lunar month. |
| 8 | 3 October 2026 | Saptami Shraddha | A general Shraddha day, for ancestors who died during the Saptami tithi of any lunar month. |
| 9 | 3 October 2026kshaya — shares this date | Ashtami Shraddha | A general Shraddha day, for ancestors who died during the Ashtami tithi of any lunar month. |
| 10 | 4 October 2026 | Navami Shraddha | Widely known as Matru Navami (or Avidhava Navami) — kept for mothers, grandmothers and other married women of the family who predeceased their husbands. |
| 11 | 5 October 2026 | Dashami Shraddha | A general Shraddha day, for ancestors who died during the Dashami tithi of any lunar month. |
| 12 | 6 October 2026 | Ekadashi Shraddha | A general Shraddha day, for ancestors who died during the Ekadashi tithi of any lunar month. |
| 13 | 7 October 2026 | Dwadashi Shraddha | A general Shraddha day, for ancestors who died during the Dwadashi tithi of any lunar month. |
| 14 | 8 October 2026 | Trayodashi Shraddha | A general Shraddha day, for ancestors who died during the Trayodashi tithi of any lunar month. |
| 15 | 9 October 2026 | Chaturdashi Shraddha | Widely known as Ghaat Chaturdashi — kept specifically for ancestors who died an unnatural, violent or accidental death (by weapon, accident, poison, or similar), for whom the ordinary tithi of death is not the governing date. |
| 16 | 10 October 2026 | Sarva Pitru Amavasya | Sarva Pitru Amavasya — the most widely observed day of the fortnight. It honours every ancestor, whatever their tithi of death, and is the day almost everyone who can perform only one Shraddha in the fortnight chooses. It also closes Pitru Paksha: Navratri begins the following day. |
Sarva Pitru Amavasya — the day almost everyone observes
10 October 2026 is Sarva Pitru Amavasya, honouring every ancestor. Aparahna — the classical window for tarpan and Shraddha, computed fresh from that day’s own sunrise and sunset — runs 1:18 PM to 3:38 PM this year.
1:18 PM – 3:38 PM
Pitru Paksha — your questions
When is Pitru Paksha 2026?
Pitru Paksha runs from 26 September 2026 (Bhadrapada Purnima) to 10 October 2026 (Sarva Pitru Amavasya) — 16 days in all. Sharadiya Navratri begins the following day.
How do I know which tithi to perform Shraddha on?
The classical rule: perform Shraddha on the tithi your ancestor died on — for example, on the Ashtami Shraddha day if they died on an Ashtami. If the exact tithi is not known, Sarva Pitru Amavasya (the last day of the fortnight) is valid for all ancestors.
What is the correct time for tarpan on Sarva Pitru Amavasya?
10 October 2026 is Sarva Pitru Amavasya, honouring every ancestor. Aparahna — the classical window for tarpan and Shraddha, computed fresh from that day’s own sunrise and sunset — runs 1:18 PM to 3:38 PM this year.
Do Pitru Paksha dates change every year?
Yes. They follow the lunar tithi, not the Gregorian date, so they fall on different days each year. This page recomputes the correct dates every year on its own — nobody has to remember to update it.
Knowing the right tithi is the easy part.
This page gives you what Pitra Dosha is, its classical signs, and the correct date for every tithi-shraddha this Pitru Paksha. What it cannot know is whether YOUR chart actually shows the affliction — a Sun-Rahu conjunction, or the 9th house under real pressure — since neither is universal.
The classical indicator is Sun-Rahu conjunction, or affliction to the 9th house — and most charts have neither. Following a generic remedy list for a dosha that is not actually present is effort spent on the wrong problem.
The report reads whether your chart carries the Sun-Rahu or 9th-house signs of Pitra Dosha, how strong the indication is, and which remedies — tarpan, dana, or otherwise — apply to what your chart specifically shows.