Gaya Pind Daan & Tarpan (Online)

About this puja

Pind daan is the offering of rice-and-sesame pindas to one’s ancestors, and tarpan is the offering of water with sesame and kusha. Scripture holds that the shradh done at Gaya brings lasting peace to the departed, which is why families from every part of India and from abroad come here once in a lifetime for their parents and forefathers. This online service is for those who cannot travel: the elderly, those abroad, or anyone for whom Pitru Paksha falls at an impossible time.

Gaya Ji, on the Falgu river in Bihar, is the foremost of all shradh tirthas. The Vishnupad temple holds the footprint of Vishnu pressed into rock, and the traditional rite moves between the Falgu riverbank, the Vishnupad vedi and the Akshayavat, the undying banyan, with many further vedis for those who do longer rites. Pitru Paksha, the fortnight of the ancestors in September or October, is the great season here, when the Bihar government holds the Pitru Paksha Mela; in 2026 it ran from 25 September to 10 October. But Gaya shradh can be, and is, performed on any day of the year.

How our online pind daan works: you send the names of the departed, their relation to you, your name and gotra. Our Gaya purohit takes the sankalp in your name, performs tarpan and pind daan at the Falgu, at Vishnupad and at Akshayavat, and completes the rite with the dakshina and blessing. You can watch on a live link or receive the video, and prasad with the sankalp record is couriered to you.

Who performs it

The rites are performed by Gaya-based purohits of the shradh tradition whom we have worked with for our Kashi and Gaya yatris. We are a Dehradun yatra company, not the Vishnupad temple management or the Bihar tourism department, and we do not claim official status. Entry and conduct inside the Vishnupad temple follow the temple’s rules on the day.

Good to know before you book

• Pind daan at Gaya is performed year-round; Pitru Paksha (in 2026, 25 September to 10 October) is the most sought-after fortnight and the most crowded, with the state’s Pitru Paksha Mela arrangements in place.
• The standard online rite is the one-day format covering the Falgu, Vishnupad and Akshayavat. Longer rites spanning more vedis are possible on request and need more notice.
• The Bihar tourism department has also been developing its own e-pind daan facility for those who cannot travel; our service is independent of it.
• Shradh is traditionally performed by a son or a close male relative, but a daughter, wife or other family member may do it, and in the online form the purohit takes the sankalp on behalf of whoever authorises it.
• You will need to tell us the names and relation of the departed and, if known, their date or tithi of death; the purohit uses this for the sankalp.
• Prasad and the written sankalp record are couriered within India; abroad at extra cost, dry items only.