Pind Daan Rituals

Pind Daan Rituals

Piṇḍas are balls of cooked rice and/or barley flour mixed with ghee and black sesame seeds offered to ancestors during Hindu funeral rites (Antyesti) and ancestor worship (Śrāddha). According to Hindu traditions, offering a pinda to a recently departed soul helps to unite the soul with its ancestors. Pindas can be placed on a recently deceased person’s hands and feet on their way to a funeral pyre. Pindas are offered to both maternal and paternal lineages.

Pind Daan is performed in any of the holy rivers of Hindu culture. People choose the location for performing this ritual based on their capacities and believe. There are many significant places where it is said that this activity gives its best results; Gaya being the most prominent one. Pitru paksha period is also considered auspicious for pind daan.