Mahalaya Amavasya 2027

About Mahalaya Amavasya

Mahalaya Amavasya, also called Sarva Pitru Amavasya, is the new moon that ends Pitru Paksha. Sarva means all: on this day a shraddh can be offered for every ancestor together, including those whose tithi of passing is not known, those who could not be remembered on their own day, and relatives with no one else to remember them. For many families it is the main shraddh day of the year.

The rites follow the shape of any shraddh. Tarpan is offered with water, black sesame and kusha grass while the names of the ancestors are spoken, and pind daan is done where the family follows it. A meal is cooked, portions are set aside for a crow, a cow and a dog, Brahmins or guests are fed, and food or grain is given to people in need. River banks and ghats across India are full of families offering tarpan in the morning.

In Bengal, Mahalaya has a second meaning. It marks the end of Pitri Paksha and the start of Devi Paksha, the fortnight of the Goddess, and the day is felt as the first call of Durga Puja. Before dawn, homes across Bengal tune in to Mahishasura Mardini on the radio, a recitation of chants and songs telling how the Goddess Durga came into being and how she fought Mahishasura. Generations have grown up waking in the dark to hear it, and today it is also heard on television and phones. Many image-makers traditionally paint the eyes of the Goddess around this day.

Six days later, Durga Puja begins with Shashthi. In other parts of India, Navratri begins the very next day with Ghatasthapana.

The shraddh is done around midday or early afternoon while the Amavasya tithi is present, and each family follows its own custom for the rites and the meal.