How to Perform Tarpan and Pind Daan at Home: Samagri List, Mantras and Step-by-Step Vidhi

What Is Tarpan And Pind Daan?

Tarpan is a ritual offering of water to the ancestors. During Pitru Paksha, water is traditionally offered with ingredients such as black sesame and kusha or darbha grass while remembering the deceased by name and lineage.

Pind Daan involves offering small pindas, traditionally prepared from cooked rice and other ingredients such as black sesame, ghee and milk or honey depending on the family tradition. The pinda is offered as part of the ancestral rites. Regional and family practices differ in the exact ingredients and procedure.

Tarpan and Pind Daan are related but are not exactly the same ritual. Tarpan primarily involves the offering of water, while Pind Daan involves the offering of pindas.


A complete formal Shraddha may include additional rituals, food offerings and prescribed procedures. Families following a particular lineage or regional tradition should follow the method given by their family priest.

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Can Tarpan And Pind Daan Be Performed At Home?

Yes, a simple form of Tarpan can be performed at home when travelling to a sacred river or pilgrimage site is not possible. A clean space, water, black sesame and kusha grass are among the commonly used materials for a basic Tarpan.

Pind Daan can also be performed at home according to some family traditions, but the complete procedure can differ considerably depending on the sampradaya, region and purpose of the Shraddha.

For a first-time ritual, or when performing Shraddha for a recently deceased family member, it is preferable to follow the instructions of a knowledgeable family priest rather than mixing procedures from different traditions.

Tarpan And Pind Daan Samagri List

Samagri For Tarpan

Keep the following items ready:

• Clean water
• Copper, brass or other clean vessel
• Black sesame seeds (kala til)
• Kusha or darbha grass
• Clean plate or vessel for receiving the offering
• Flowers
• Akshat (uncooked rice), if followed in your family tradition
• A clean cloth or asana
• Ganga Jal, if available
• Diya and oil or ghee, optional

Water, black sesame and kusha grass are repeatedly identified in traditional Tarpan guides as the basic materials for an ancestral water offering.

Samagri For Pind Daan

For a simple home Pind Daan, commonly used ingredients include:

• Cooked rice
• Black sesame seeds
• Ghee
• Milk
• Honey
• Kusha or darbha grass
• Water
• Flowers
• A clean plate or leaf for placing the pindas

Some traditions use barley, while the exact ingredients and number of pindas can vary. Traditional North Indian Shraddha practices, for example, commonly use rice, sesame, barley, milk, honey and ghee in Pind Daan.

Do not treat every ingredient as mandatory across all traditions. If your family follows a specific Shraddha paddhati, use its prescribed samagri.

How To Perform Tarpan At Home: Step-by-Step Vidhi

Step 1: Clean Yourself And Prepare The Space

Take a bath and wear clean clothes before beginning the ritual.

Clean the area where you will perform Tarpan. Place the required samagri in front of you and keep a separate vessel or plate to receive the water offering.

If available, place kusha or darbha grass near the ritual area.

Step 2: Prepare The Tarpan Water

Take clean water in a copper or brass vessel.

Add a small quantity of black sesame seeds. Kusha or darbha grass may also be used according to your family tradition.

If Ganga Jal is traditionally used in your household and is available, a small quantity may be added.

Step 3: Take The Sankalp

Before beginning the offering, state your intention.

You can take a simple Sankalp in your own words if you do not know the longer Sanskrit form.

For example:

“I am performing Tarpan today during Pitru Paksha in remembrance of my ancestors. May this offering be accepted and may my ancestors be remembered with respect and gratitude.”

If you know the ancestor's name, relationship and gotra, include them according to your family tradition.

A traditional Sankalp identifies the person performing the ritual, the lineage or gotra, the relevant Tithi and the purpose of the offering.

Step 4: Remember The Ancestor

Before offering the water, mentally remember the ancestor for whom the Tarpan is being performed.

If appropriate, state the person's:

• Name
• Relationship
• Gotra
• Relevant death Tithi

The purpose is to clearly identify the intended recipient of the ancestral offering.

Step 5: Offer The Tarpan

Take water mixed with black sesame in your hands and allow it to flow slowly as an offering.

For Pitru Tarpan, traditional procedures use the Pitru Tirtha, the area between the thumb and index finger, rather than simply pouring water from the fingertips.

While offering the water, a simple mantra can be recited:

“Om Pitribhyo Namah.”

You may also say:

“Om Sarva Pitru Devatabhyo Namah.”

If you know the traditional mantra prescribed by your family priest, use that instead.

Step 6: Repeat The Offering

Repeat the water offering according to your family tradition.

If you are performing a simplified home Tarpan and do not know the detailed counts or sequence, avoid inventing a complex procedure. A simple offering with remembrance and the appropriate mantra is preferable to incorrectly combining different ritual systems.

Step 7: Complete The Tarpan

After the offerings, offer a short prayer for the peace and well-being of the departed ancestors.

You can conclude with:

“Om Pitribhyo Namah.”

Take a moment of silence and respectfully end the ritual.

How To Perform Pind Daan At Home: Step-by-Step Vidhi

Pind Daan has more variations than a basic Tarpan, so families should follow their customary method wherever possible.

Step 1: Prepare The Pindas

Cook rice and allow it to cool sufficiently to handle.

Depending on the tradition, combine the rice with ingredients such as:

• Black sesame
• Ghee
• Milk
• Honey

Make small round pindas.

Some traditions prescribe specific ingredients, quantities and numbers of pindas. Follow the family or priest-prescribed method if one is available.

Step 2: Prepare The Ritual Space

Place kusha or darbha grass in the designated area.

Sit facing south and keep the pindas on a clean plate, leaf or surface according to your family tradition.

Step 3: Take The Sankalp

State the purpose of the Pind Daan and identify the ancestor.

A simple intention can be:

“I am offering this Pinda in remembrance of my ancestor [name], of [gotra], with reverence and gratitude. May this offering be accepted.”

Step 4: Place The Pindas

Place the prepared pindas on the designated surface.

The exact number and arrangement of pindas varies among traditions. Do not assume that one arrangement applies to every family.

Step 5: Offer Water

After placing the pindas, offer water with black sesame according to the prescribed family method.

A simple invocation is:

“Om Pitribhyo Namah.”

The ancestor's name and relationship can also be spoken while making the offering.

Step 6: Offer Prayers

Offer a final prayer for the peace of the departed and express gratitude for the family lineage.

If your family tradition includes offerings of food, charity or feeding animals as part of Shraddha, these can be incorporated according to the prescribed practice.

Simple Pitru Tarpan Mantras For Home

People who do not know lengthy Sanskrit mantras can use short traditional invocations rather than attempting a complicated ritual incorrectly.

For Ancestors

Om Pitribhyo Namah.

Meaning: Salutations to the ancestors.

For All Ancestors

Om Sarva Pitru Devatabhyo Namah.

Meaning: Salutations to all ancestral deities.

While Remembering A Specific Ancestor

You can also respectfully say the ancestor's name and relationship before the offering, followed by:

“Idam Tarpanam [name] Pitre.”

The precise Sanskrit formulation can vary according to grammatical form, gotra and the ritual tradition being followed. Therefore, families using a formal mantra should use the version provided by their priest or family tradition.

What If You Do Not Know The Gotra Or Mantra?

Not knowing the gotra or a lengthy Sanskrit mantra does not mean you have to abandon a simple act of remembrance.

For a basic home observance, clearly remember the ancestor by name and relationship and offer water respectfully while reciting:

“Om Pitribhyo Namah.”

If the ritual is part of a formal Shraddha, however, it is better to ask a family priest for the correct Sankalp and mantra rather than substituting an unrelated procedure.

Can Tarpan Be Done Without Kusha Grass?

Kusha or darbha grass is traditionally used in ancestral rituals, but availability can differ from place to place.

If you are following a simple home Tarpan and cannot obtain kusha, do not combine unrelated ritual rules simply to compensate. Follow your family tradition or seek guidance from a priest about an appropriate substitute.

The core materials commonly identified for basic home Tarpan are clean water and black sesame, with kusha used as an important traditional ritual material.

Can Tarpan Be Done With Plain Water?

Yes, a simple ancestral remembrance can be made with clean water when other materials are unavailable.

However, black sesame and kusha/darbha are traditionally associated with Pitru Tarpan, so they can be included when available and when they are part of your family practice.

The important distinction is between a simple home remembrance/Tarpan and a complete formal Shraddha ceremony. They should not be presented as identical rituals.

What Should Be Done After Tarpan And Pind Daan?

After completing the offering:

1. Conclude the prayer respectfully.
2. Clean the ritual area.
3. Dispose of the offered water respectfully according to local practice.
4. Handle the pindas according to your family tradition.
5. If your family tradition includes feeding a cow, crow, dog or offering food to Brahmins, follow that practice.
6. Charity or food donation in remembrance of ancestors may also be included where customary.

Regional Shraddha practices differ significantly. For example, Pind Daan has particular importance in several North Indian traditions, while Tarpan is especially prominent in some eastern Indian traditions.

Important Things To Keep In Mind

• Perform Shraddha according to the correct ancestral death Tithi wherever applicable.
• Check the local Panchang for the exact ritual timing.
• Keep the ritual space clean.
• Use fresh, clean ingredients.
• Do not mix procedures from different regional traditions without guidance.
• If your family has an established Shraddha tradition, follow it.
• For a recently deceased family member or a formal annual Shraddha, consult the family priest for the complete procedure.
• If a particular samagri is unavailable, do not automatically assume that the entire ritual cannot be performed; check the acceptable practice within your tradition.

Pitru Paksha 2026: What Is The Relevant Date?

Pitru Paksha 2026 began on September 27 with Pratipada Shraddha and continues until October 10, Sarva Pitru Amavasya. Today, September 28, is Dwitiya Shraddha.

The appropriate Tarpan or Shraddha date depends on the ancestor's death Tithi. Exact ritual timings should be checked according to the local Panchang.