Pind Daan at 975 feet height for those who have died prematurely, Pitru Paksha Mela organized in Gay

Gaya Pitru Paksha Mela Guide: Pind Daan at 975 feet height for those who have died prematurely, Pitru Paksha Mela organized in Gaya.

What is Pitru Paksha.

The Krishna Paksha of Ashwin month is called Pitru Paksha, it is also known as Shradh Paksha. The time of Pitru Paksha is considered special for the peace of the soul of ancestors and Shradh Karma is performed in 16 days of Pitru Paksha. For this, there is a tradition of performing Tarpan, Pind Daan and Shradh in these days, while Pind Daan can be done throughout the year, but Pind Daan in Pitru Paksha has special importance and it is believed that Pind Daan is necessary during this time for the salvation of ancestors.

Local connectivity.

It is being told that after reaching Gaya, pilgrims can come to Chandchaura turn for Vishnupad temple by auto. From here one will have to travel about 800 meters on foot.

The distance from Gaya Junction to Chandchaura turn is 3 kilometers. The fare here has been fixed at Rs 20 per person.

 Apart from this, free city bus service is also available 24 hours during the fair, which goes to Chandchaura Mod (Vishnupad Temple) and Pretshila.

The administration arranges free auto rickshaws for elderly pilgrims to go from Chandchaura to Vishnupad Temple.

Arrangements for lodging and food.

Some pilgrims consider the Panda as their pilgrimage Guru and stay at his house. There are 111 hotels, big and small, in Gaya for lodging arrangements. Every kind of facility is available in them. The rent of an AC double bed room in a normal hotel is Rs. 3000. The rent of a normal room is Rs. 1200 to Rs. 1500. Apart from these, there will be arrangements for lodging in 507 private houses and dharamshalas. There is free arrangement for lodging of 2500 pilgrims in Nigam Monastery of Bodh Gaya. Many monasteries have been kept reserved for pilgrims.

Arrangement for food and drink is available in every private hotel and restaurant. There are many Dhabas in the fair area. The pilgrims staying in the houses of the Pandits prepare their own food. There are hotels, Dhabas and restaurants near the Dharamshala as well. All serve pure vegetarian food without garlic and onion.

There are a total of 16 dates in the Shraadh Paksha.

 17 September Purnima Shraddha

18 September Pratipada Shraddha

19 September Dwitiya Shraddha

20 September Tritiya Shraddha

21 September Maha Bharani Shraddha

21 September Chaturthi Shraddha

22 September Panchami Shraddha

23 September Shashthi Shraddha

23 September Saptami Shraddha

24 September Ashtami Shraddha

25 September Navami Shraddha

26 September Dashami Shraddha

27 September Ekadashi Shraddha

29 September Dwadashi Shraddha

29 September Magha Shraddha

30 September Trayodashi Shraddha

1 October Chaturdashi Shraddha

2 October Sarvapitre Amavasya

Pinddaan is done for 365 days in Gaya.

According to Panda Abhishek Jha, Pinddaan is done here for 365 days. Pinddaan has special importance in Pitru Paksha, so people do Pinddaan according to the time. The most popular is the Pind Daan of 3 altars, in which Pind Daan is completed in one to two days.

Marwari families perform Pind Daan of 45 altars. They come to Gaya two days in advance, stay for 17 days and perform Pind Daan of their ancestors.

Arrangements for Pind Daan

There are many altars for Pind Daan in Gaya, of which Vishnupad, Ramshila, Dharmaranya, Pretshila, Kagbali, Akshayvat are the main ones. Tents have been set up at all the major Pind Vedi sites. German tents are set up at Vishnupad Falgu Ghat, where 20-25 thousand people can perform Pind Daan at a time.

Accommodation arrangements

The Gaya administration has made free accommodation arrangements for pilgrims in tent city and many government schools. In the tent city, people will get the facilities of coolers, fans, toilets, drinking water, bathrooms, changing rooms. Free tea will be available in the morning and free food at night.

 There are a total of 250 families in Gaya, which have about 1300 pandas. Pilgrims get information about the pandas of their areas from their family elders. The district administration also sets up a counter at Gaya Junction to provide information about pandas area-wise.