Amavasya Shraddha - Tarpan Date Calculator
Frequently asked questions about Amavasya Shraddha
Is this the same as Pitru Paksha?
No. Pitru Paksha is the fortnight from Bhadrapada Purnima to Mahalaya Amavasya, when families offer the annual Shraddh on an ancestor's own death tithi. This page is the other list: every monthly Amavasya (Darsha Shraddha) used for pitru tarpan through the year. The Pitru Paksha window and the matching death tithi live on the Shraddh Tithi calculator.
Why does a tarpan calendar need a Kundli?
The new-moon moments themselves are astronomical, but the civil date depends on timezone, and this tool times the tithi at midday in the birth-place zone. The Kundli also shows Lagna, Moon sign and janma tithi, and flags an Amavasya birth, which some families treat as a reason to keep Darsha Shraddha with extra care. It is not a reading of whether tarpan will succeed.
If I miss an Amavasya, have I missed the year?
No. The next new moon is another Darsha Shraddha day, and Mahalaya (Sarva Pitru) Amavasya at the close of Pitru Paksha is widely kept for all ancestors, including those whose tithi was missed. A family priest settles what to offer and when. This page is a calendar aid, not a verdict that a missed date cannot be made up.
What is tarpan, and how is it offered?
Tarpan is water mixed with black til, offered to the ancestors from the joined palms over the pitru-tirtha (the base of the right thumb), facing south after a morning bath. Recite a Pitru mantra for each name, or for the whole line - the words are on the Pitru Mantra page. It is a smaller rite than annual Shraddha or Pind Daan. Confirm the regional vidhi with your family priest; this page only lists the monthly Amavasya dates from a living person's Kundli.
Are the dates in my own timezone?
They follow the timezone of the birth place you pick, with the tithi read at local midday, Lahiri sidereal. A tithi that turns near sunrise can still move the kept day by one civil date, so confirm the vidhi with your family priest if you now live far from the birth town. The annual Pitru Paksha dates on Shraddh Tithi are shown in IST, which is a different convention.
I was born on Amavasya. Does that change the list?
The monthly dates stay the same for everyone in that timezone; what changes is the natal note. An Amavasya birth is flagged on the result, and several families then keep Darsha Shraddha more carefully. That is not the same as a natal dosha reading - the Amavasya Janma Dosha check covers the classical birth-tithi view separately.
About tarpan and Amavasya Shraddha
Tarpan is the offering of water (and usually black sesame) to the ancestors. The word comes from Sanskrit trp - to satisfy. You are giving the Pitrus a simple drink of remembrance, not a full funeral and not Pind Daan. This calculator lists every monthly Amavasya (new-moon) day for that offering, read from a living person's Kundli - typically the descendant who will do the rite, not the departed ancestor.
Tarpan is smaller than Shraddha (the annual rite on the death tithi, often with food for Brahmins) and much smaller than Pind Daan (rice-ball offerings, often at Gaya or another tirtha). Monthly Amavasya tarpan is also called Darsha Shraddha. It is not the Pitru Paksha window. That fortnight, from Bhadrapada Purnima to Mahalaya Amavasya, and the annual Shraddh on an ancestor's own death tithi, are on the Shraddh Tithi calculator.
Traditionally the eldest son performs it, facing south, with the sacred thread in the pitru manner (over the right shoulder). Many families and priests now accept a daughter, especially if there is no son. Anyone may remember the ancestors with the mantra even if they do not do the full vidhi. The usual time is morning, after a bath. The main days are each Amavasya, the Pitru Paksha fortnight (especially Mahalaya Amavasya), and the ancestor's own Shraddh tithi. Daily remembrance is also traditional.
How to offer tarpan at home
- Bathe, wear clean clothes, sit facing south.
- Keep a copper or brass vessel of water, a pinch of black til (sesame), and darbha grass if you have it.
- Mix a little til into the water.
- Join the palms, hold a little of that water, and let it flow over the pitru-tirtha - the base of the right thumb - onto the ground or into a bowl (not into a sink used for washing).
- Recite for each ancestor you are naming, for example Om Pitru Devtaya Namah, or Om Sarva Pitru Devtabhyo Namah for the whole line. The mantras are on the Pitru Mantra page.
- Offer a few times (often three, or once per named person). Stay grateful; the tradition treats remembrance, not an elaborate setup, as the heart of it.
- Feeding a crow, a cow, or someone in need that day, in the ancestors' name, is the usual way to complete it.
Confirm the exact vidhi with your family priest if you want the full regional form - Bengali, Tamil, Maharashtrian and other traditions differ in small details. This page only names the dates, using the Lahiri sidereal Sun and Moon with the tithi taken at local midday. Named days such as Mauni, Mahalaya, Diwali Amavasya and Somvati are labelled when they apply. For the natal chart itself use Kundli Maker. The Moon Calendar lists every Purnima and Amavasya as observances, with no birth chart.
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