DevYatra

श्राद्ध · Ancestors

Shraddha dates & Pitru Paksha

The highest-intent recurring observance in Hindu life — and the one most often gotten wrong, because a shraddha is a tithi, not a date on the wall calendar.

A shraddha is a tithi, not a date

Your relative did not pass on "the 14th of March". They passed on a tithi — a lunar day — in a particular paksha of a particular month. That tithi returns to a different Gregorian date every year, drifting 11 to 19 days. Miss the drift and you observe on the wrong day, which is exactly the kind of quiet, painful error the rest of DevYatra is built to refuse.

How DevYatra computes it

The same on-device engine that resolves the festival calendar resolves shraddha dates, at the aparahna (afternoon) window, inheriting the verified nirnaya used for Sarva Pitru Amavasya. Every date carries a confidence state; nothing is scraped or guessed.

Pitru Paksha, year by year

Pitru Paksha
2026
Sixteen shraddha tithis 2026 →
Pitru Paksha
2027
Sixteen shraddha tithis 2027 →

Frequently asked

Why does a shraddha date change every year?
Because it is tied to the tithi (lunar day) the person passed, in a particular paksha and month — and the lunar and Gregorian calendars drift, so the same tithi lands 11–19 days earlier each solar year.
What is Pitru Paksha?
A fortnight dedicated to the ancestors, ending on Sarva Pitru Amavasya. Each ancestor's shraddha is observed on the Pitru Paksha tithi matching the tithi they passed on.
What if I only know the English (Gregorian) date of death?
The tithi has to be derived from that date and place, which has real ambiguity (a day can carry up to two tithis). DevYatra treats this as a reviewed step rather than guessing — it will not silently invent an anniversary.

Never miss an ancestor's day

DevYatra keeps your ancestors' shraddha dates computed forever, for your city, with gentle advance reminders — private and on-device.

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