Purnima Shraddha
Shraddha for ancestors who passed away on a Purnima; precedes Pitru Paksha.
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- CategoryShraddha
- Defining tithi / momentShukla Paksha Purnima: to
- Lunar monthBhadrapada Shukla Paksha (same name in Amanta and Purnimanta)
Timings on Tuesday, 14 September 2027
- Kutup Muhurat to 0 h 50 min · 14/09/2027 (Tue)
- Rohina Muhurat to 0 h 50 min · 14/09/2027 (Tue)
- Aparahna to 2 h 30 min · 14/09/2027 (Tue)
Rule applied: Smarta — The tithi covers the required time on two days; the day with the greater coverage is taken.
Why this date?
- The tithi covers the required time (Aparahna) on two consecutive days; the day with the greater coverage is taken.
About Purnima Shraddha
Significance
Purnima Shraddha is the Shraddha for ancestors who died on a Purnima, the full-moon tithi. It falls on Bhadrapada Purnima, the day before the dark fortnight begins, and calendars therefore usually count it as the first day of Pitru Paksha, although Dharma Sindhu reckons the Mahalaya Shraddhas themselves from Krishna Pratipada.
Dharma Sindhu also describes a separate rite on this full moon, the Proshthapadi Shraddha (Proshthapada being an old name of Bhadrapada): a parvana Shraddha addressed to three generations of ancestors together with their wives. It is a seasonal Shraddha in its own right and is not limited to families who lost someone on a Purnima.
How and where it is observed
Families who lost someone on a Purnima perform that person’s annual Mahalaya offering on this day, and others begin the fortnight’s observances with it. Customs differ: some families remember Purnima deaths on Sarva Pitru Amavasya instead, and some also offer water to the sages (rishi-tarpana) on this full moon. Follow your family custom or purohit.
Rituals
The rite has the same elements as the rest of the fortnight: an afternoon meal for invited brahmanas, pinda-dana with rice, sesame and honey or ghee, tarpana with sesame water, and portions for the cow, crow and dog. Where the Proshthapadi form is kept, it is a full parvana Shraddha in which the three paternal generations and their wives are named in the resolve (sankalpa), and Dharma Sindhu notes that some families also invoke the Vishvedevas.
How the date is fixed
The date is Bhadrapada Shukla Purnima, a name shared by the Amanta and Purnimanta calendars, on the day the full-moon tithi prevails in the afternoon Aparahna. A Purnima fast or Satyanarayan puja, which is reckoned by the evening or by moonrise, can therefore fall a day earlier than this Shraddha. If the full moon is short and does not reach the afternoon on either day, the Shraddha goes to the day on which Purnima lasts longest. On this site the date of Purnima Shraddha is also the first day of the Pitru Paksha span.
Sources
- Dharma Sindhu, Dwitiya Pariccheda, Bhadrapada: Mahalaya Paksha, Proshthapadi, Bharani, Magha-Trayodashi, Shastrahata Chaturdashi and Kapila Shashthi (English condensation: V.D.N. Rao, Essence of Dharma Sindhu, ch. 7)
- Nirnaya Sindhu, Shraddha-nirnaya: the Shraddha tithi decided by its presence in Aparahna
- Manusmriti, Chapter 3 (Shraddha)
Customs differ between regions, communities and families; this description is background, not a prescription. The date above is calculated by the rule shown on this page.
How the date is determined
- The date is Bhadrapada Shukla Paksha Purnima; the month name is the same in the Amanta and Purnimanta systems.
- It falls on the day when this tithi prevails during Aparahna — the fourth fifth of the daytime, in the afternoon.
- If the tithi prevails at that time on two consecutive days, the day on which it covers more of that period is taken.
- If the tithi does not touch that period on any day (a kshaya tithi), the Hindu day on which the tithi prevails longest is used.
- In a year with an Adhik month of the same name, it is observed in the regular (Nija) month.
- Shraddha is performed in the afternoon: the tithi is chosen by its presence in Aparahna, and the Kutup, Rohina and Aparahna windows of that day are shown.
Traditional variation
This is the date given by the rule shown above for the selected place. It is not the only valid date: regional Panchangs, family customs and sampradayas may observe it on a different day.
Rule source: Shraddha tithi determined by Aparahna vyapti (Nirnaya Sindhu)
Traditions may vary by region and Panchang convention. Times are shown for the selected place, time zone and calculation profile.
Calculated with engine 1.4.2 · rules rules-2026-10-21-2ab12b5d · profile north-lahiri-calibrated v1 · ayanamsa lahiri_drik_compat · astronomy-engine@2.1.19 · America/Los_Angeles
Dates in 2026
| Date | Defining tithi / moment | Time windows | Decision notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25/09/2026 (Fri)
Bhadrapada Shukla Paksha (same name in Amanta and Purnimanta) |
Shukla Paksha Purnima: to |
|
Standard rule applied |
Dates in 2027
| Date | Defining tithi / moment | Time windows | Decision notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14/09/2027 (Tue)
Next
Bhadrapada Shukla Paksha (same name in Amanta and Purnimanta) |
Shukla Paksha Purnima: to |
|
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