Panchami Shraddha
Shraddha for ancestors who passed away on Panchami tithi.
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Beta Rules awaiting automated Jyotish review
This festival's date rule is applied exactly as documented, but it has not yet passed the platform's Jyotish review (an automated review against the classical texts and published Panchangs). Regional Panchangs may differ; confirm with your family priest or local temple.
- CategoryShraddha
- Defining tithi / momentKrishna Paksha Panchami: to
- Lunar monthBhadrapada Krishna Paksha (Amanta) · Ashwin Krishna Paksha (Purnimanta)
Timings on Monday, 20 September 2027
- Kutup Muhurat to 0 h 49 min · 20/09/2027 (Mon)
- Rohina Muhurat to 0 h 49 min · 20/09/2027 (Mon)
- Aparahna to 2 h 26 min · 20/09/2027 (Mon)
Rule applied: Smarta — The tithi covers the required time on this day only.
About Panchami Shraddha
Significance
Panchami Shraddha is for ancestors who died on a Panchami, the fifth tithi, in either fortnight. In parts of North India the day is popularly called Kunwara (or Kunwari) Panchami and is also used for members of the family who died unmarried. This is a regional custom rather than a rule of the classical digests, but it is widely followed.
Panchami also has a place in the digests’ timetable for the fortnight. Dharma Sindhu notes the view that Shraddhas from Panchami onward are especially fruitful, and allows those who cannot keep the whole Mahalaya to begin on Panchami (or on Shashthi, Ashtami, Dashami or Ekadashi) and continue to Amavasya. In the Mahabharata’s tithi list (Anushasana Parva, Section 87) the fifth day is associated with sons, and in the Brahma Purana’s list with prosperity.
How and where it is observed
Where Kunwara Panchami is observed, families remember sons and daughters who died before marriage, and in some households an unmarried young brahmana is fed in their memory. Families that follow only the digests keep an unmarried person’s Shraddha on his or her own death tithi. Which custom applies is a matter of family practice; ask your purohit when unsure.
Rituals
The meal, pinda-dana and tarpana follow the usual Mahalaya order. Many families prepare kheer (sweet rice pudding) on this day and set aside portions for the cow, dog and crow before the meal. If Bharani nakshatra falls on Panchami in a given year, the day may also serve for the Bharani Shraddha that Dharma Sindhu describes for this fortnight.
How the date is fixed
The date is Bhadrapada Krishna Panchami (Amanta), Ashvina Krishna Panchami in Purnimanta calendars, on the day Panchami holds the afternoon Aparahna. A tithi that lasts more than a day can touch the Aparahna on two consecutive days (a vriddhi); the Shraddha is then placed on the day whose Aparahna Panchami covers more, and the other day goes to a neighbouring tithi or has no tithi Shraddha of its own.
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)
- Dharma Sindhu, Tritiya Pariccheda, Shraddha-prakarana (English condensation: V.D.N. Rao, Essence of Dharma Sindhu, ch. 26)
- Mahabharata, Anushasana Parva, Section 87 (K.M. Ganguli translation): Bhishma on Shraddha and the result of each lunar day
- Brahma Purana, Shraddha-kalpa: tithi-wise list for the fortnight when the Sun is in Kanya (as summarised in Essence of Dharma Sindhu, ch. 7)
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
- In the Amanta system (months end at the new moon) this is Bhadrapada Krishna Paksha Panchami; in the Purnimanta system used in most of North India (months end at the full moon) the same day is called Ashwin Krishna Paksha Panchami.
- 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 · Asia/Kolkata
Dates in 2026
| Date | Defining tithi / moment | Time windows | Decision notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30/09/2026 (Wed)
Bhadrapada Krishna Paksha (Amanta) · Ashwin Krishna Paksha (Purnimanta) |
Krishna Paksha Panchami: to |
|
Standard rule applied |
Dates in 2027
| Date | Defining tithi / moment | Time windows | Decision notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20/09/2027 (Mon)
Next
Bhadrapada Krishna Paksha (Amanta) · Ashwin Krishna Paksha (Purnimanta) |
Krishna Paksha Panchami: to |
|
Standard rule applied |