KATHMANDU, OCTOBER 10
Pitri Paksha, the 16-day period dedicated to honouring deceased ancestors, concludes on Saturday with rituals including tarpan (water offerings), sidadaan (offering of sacred food) and pindadaan (offering of rice balls).
The period, commonly known as Sorha Shraddha, began on the first day of the dark fortnight of Ashwin. It covers 15 lunar dates of Pitri Paksha and the first day of the bright fortnight, when people perform rites in memory of their departed ancestors.
According to religious scriptures, rituals missed on their prescribed dates may be performed on the final day. If they cannot be completed even today, alternatives include performing them between the first and fifth days of the bright fortnight, said former chair of the Nepal Panchanga Nirnayak Bikas Samiti, Ramchandra Gautam.
If the rituals remain unperformed, they may be observed on the new moon day of Kartik, which coincides with Laxmi Puja. Further alternatives are also prescribed in religious texts, including specific lunar dates and astrological combinations, said Devmani Bhattarai, head of the Department of Dharmashastra at Valmiki Vidyapeeth of Nepal Sanskrit University.
During Pitri Paksha, devotees visit sacred sites including Gokarneshwar Uttar Gaya in the northeastern Kathmandu Valley, Betrawati at the junction of Nuwakot and Rasuwa, Devghat and Triveni to perform ancestral rites.
With the conclusion of Pitri Paksha, the period dedicated to Goddess Durga begins. Dashain festivities formally start with Ghatasthapana on Sunday, October 11.