Devotees across India perform Pind Daan during ‘Pitru Paksha Amavasya’

HARIDWAR (Uttarakhand): People performed ‘Pitru Tarpan’ and ‘Pind Daan’ rituals on the occasion of ‘Pitru Paksha Amavasya’ for their ancestors in Haridwar’s Ganga Ghat. People also performed ‘Pitru Tarpan’, ‘Pind Daan’ rituals in the Sarayu river of Ayodhya, and Howrah’s Ganga Ghat on the day of ‘Pitru Amavasya’.

“We have performed the rituals by caring for all ‘Vidhi Vidhan’ and we felt good. We witnessed Ganga Arti today. We have come from Chandigarh”, a devotee said at Haridwar’s Ganga Ghat.”Today is Pitra Pitru Paksha Amavasya, we took a bath and offered Pind. I have come with my mother-in-law and husband. We felt good after worshipping here. There is a lot of crowd here”, another devotee said.

Bhavna, a devotee who visited Ayodhya’s Saryu Ghat, said that everyone here is offering pind to their ancestors and taking their blessings. “Today is Amavasya, I have come from Surat. We offered ‘Pind’ to our forefathers for their ‘mukti’. Sarayu river is a holy river and taking a bath here is a privilege for me”, another devotee Bhagwan Prasad Sharma, who visited the Saryu river to perform Pind Daan rituals said.

Every year, a large number of devotees take a holy dip in various rivers across the country and perform ‘Pind Daan’ on the last day of Pitru Paksha, also known as Sarva Pitru Amavasya. According to the Hindu faith, after death, the soul of a human being still remains in the materialistic world. ‘Pind Dan’ gives the soul relief, paving the way for its departure to a world of peace.

According to the Hindu calendar, Pitru Paksha or the 16-day lunar day period on Mahalaya is when Hindus pay homage to their ancestors (Pitras), marking the beginning of ‘Devi Paksha’, the day marked by the arrival of Goddess Durga. Devotees believe that ‘Pind Daan’ helps in attaining salvation to their ancestors and the way to heaven is paved for them. (ANI)