[autobahnjpr]

Hi Friends,
I recently undertook the shradh ceremony at Gaya ji for ancestors and thought of sharing the experience and learnings to help fellow members who would like to do the same depending on their faith.

Setting the context
It is a belief of Hindus that if you perform shradh ceremony at Gaya Ji then your ancestors find mukti and reach the lotus feet of lord. Your loved ones become part of "pitra" 3 years after death and normally you should do shradh in Gaya ji, 3 or more years after death.

The shradh ceremony in Gaya Ji can be done in 1 day, 3 day, 5 days or 17 days. Due to paucity of time, many people opt for 1 day ceremony and few opt for >1 day. As usual, there are many school of thoughts on the proper procedure and things to be done during the ceremony eg. some clap during the ceremony whereas others think it is bad omen. But the gist remains the same even if some procedures are different.

Details
Gaya ji is famous for Vishnu pad temple where feet of lord vishnu are imprinted. This is the primary place where the shradh ceremony takes place. Nearby the temple flows the falgun river and a stones throw away is akshay vat tree which is considered immortal. For a one day shradh ceremony, the offerings take place at these three places. In case there has been an accidental or unfortunate death like road accident or suicide etc. then it is mandatory to visit and perform the ceremony at a place called pretishila to free such souls from the bondage.

The ceremony primarily consists of two parts - pinddaan and tarpan. Pindaan is offering of food and tarpan is offering of water. Pinds are prepared by mixing water and other things with wheat flour and rolling them into small balls but in akshay vat they are prepared with mava/khoya (sweetened evaporated milk). You first invite lord vishnu and perform pooja. Then you create three seats, one for your father and forefathers, other for mother, grandmother etc. and the third is for maternal grandfather, maternal grandmother and their ancestors. You place the pinds on these seats (numbers will vary according to pooja and location) and then perform pooja one by one. Water is taken in the palm and is offered either from bent hands with water dripping from the elbow or by turning the hand towards the thumb and pouring it through the thumb. Of course, at multiple steps, you will have to offer some money as dakshina.

Two dipaks (earthern lamps) are lit - one of ghee and other of oil and one should be careful not to burn the clothes or fingers while doing the pooja. A ring made of kusha grass called pavitri is worn in the third finger of the right hand throughout the ceremony by all the participants. The whole ceremony is done sitting cross legged, so if you have trouble sitting, it is advisable to take your own foldable chair. Although the place is cleaned by the staff after every pooja, it is advisable to buy the 10 rupee disposable plastic sheet and spread it before sitting.

In the end, the pinds and the water is offered either in the river or to a tree with the prayer that our ancestors find liberation and reach lotus feet of lord vishnu. After this, we move to another location to perform the similar set of pooja.

The number of days decides the number of places such pooja is done. As we opted for 3 days we went to following places

1. Vishnu Pad Temple
2. Falgun River
3. Pillar complex within temple
4. Pret Shila
5. Ram ghat
6. Sita Ghat
7. Bodhgaya
8. Akshay Vat

To repeat, 1,2 and 8 are mandatory in 1 day pooja and in case of accidental death, add number 4 to the list.

Bodhgaya
Bodhgaya, twin town of gaya situated at appx. 15-20 kms distance is the nirvan place of Lord Buddha where he found moksha sitting under a peepal tree. The tree still exists and a temple has been erected for lord buddha next to it. The shrad ceremony is performed in the temple complex near a small pond some 100 meters away from the temple and the tree. You can see buddhist monks robed in traditional red attire meditating or chanting. A lot of foreign footfall is also there and you can see foreign currency donations in the transparent donation boxes. There is strict security for entry into the temple and your bags are scanned through x-ray and mobile phone and bluetooth devices are to be deposited in the locker before entry.

How to Reach + Stay
Gaya is well connected by road, rail and air with an international airport and flights from major cities. Large number of trains pass through gaya and thus reaching is not difficult. You can choose the mode best suited to you. The airport is situated near to bodhgaya but the train stations is in Gaya. Because of large foreign tourist, bodhgaya has better hotel facilities and it is recommended to stay there. Gaya does not have many good hotels. Sites like Makemytrip can be used to book hotels.

Arrangements
The government machinery is in full force and thousands of sanitation workers and policemen are deployed throughout the gaya town during the shradh days. A large number of policewomen are also deployed. The police is polite and friendly and very helpful when you ask for directions or information.

Public Transport
Public transport is autos and e-rickshaws. I did not try uber/ola so am not sure if they operate there. During the shradh period, due to huge rush, the roads are clogged and one way traffic is implemented due to which you might take time in your local travel. If you can, walk as the main areas are within a radius of 3 km. It saves a lot of time.

Miscellaneous
You will encounter beggars and other people asking for alms. If you can, give them some money. If you are against, then just continue your walk and do not either hate them or indulge in some moral lessons. Have the same attitude when dealing with pandas in financial matters. You give what you feel inspite of ask for more and have no ill feeling or verbal altercation.

Further Reading
I am attaching a small article on the significance of Gaya from the magazine Kalyan published by Gita Press. The article is in hindi and gives a detailed explanation from the purana and other texts on the significance of Gaya pinddaan. Also it covers the history of how the city got its name etc. All copyrights are with Gita Press.

[ATTACH=gita press - gaya tirth.pdf]2664088[/ATTACH]

I hope that this small guide is of use to those who are planning to undertake gaya shradh for their ancestors.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[uditanshh]

Originally Posted by autobahnjpr

Hi Friends,
I recently undertook the shradh ceremony at Gaya ji for ancestors and thought of sharing the experience and learnings to help fellow members who would like to do the same depending on their faith.
I hope that this small guide is of use to those who are planning to undertake gaya shradh for their ancestors.

Thank you autobahnjpr, such type of guides help us youngsters learn our culture, rituals and values in a somewhat appropriate manner. Especially so if the said youngster doesn't have any elders or close family around and are dependent on the Pandits or other nobility for such knowledge.

I visited once in 2018 and was happy to see the sanitation part you mentioned, however when I visited again in 2021, I was really appalled to see the dire state of riverside, but I guess the sanitiation workers weren't working due to the Pandemic.

[Aquitej]

Thanks autobahnjpr for the valuable information.

Our Father left this world during last week of January this year and I was planning to go to Gayathri during next year's Pitru paksha time frame.

I read somewhere that a minimum of 1 year should have been passed in order to do Shradh ceremony in Gaya. Will have to check again since you mentioned about 3 years time frame.

[pd1108]

How Pind-dan is performed depends upon the state/gotra you belong to. It is best to contact a registered ashram/organisation in your community to get the right guidance. For Bengalis, the ideal place to go and book the arrangements is Bharat Sevashram. Such institutions ensure the lone shark pandits do not rip you off.

Usually, the pind-dan is performed after a year of the passing of the parent. Even better is to do the pind-dan after a year of the last parent's passing away. Best to do it together for both parents

Some people also believe that the Pind-dan can be performed in Haridwar or Ujjain, depending upon the convenience

[gauravdgr8]

Originally Posted by autobahnjpr

Hi Friends,
I recently undertook the shradh ceremony at Gaya ji for ancestors and thought of sharing the experience and learnings to help fellow members who would like to do the same depending on their faith.

Just last week, I too went to Siddhpur in Gujrat to do pind dan for my Nani. In Sindhis, that too a particular community, female pind dan is done in Siddhpur. However, nowadays with paucity of time, it's being done in Gaya too.

Originally Posted by pd1108

Usually, the pind-dan is performed after a year of the passing of the parent. Even better is to do the pind-dan after a year of the last parent's passing away. Best to do it together for both parents

Some people also believe that the Pind-dan can be
performed in Haridwar or Ujjain, depending upon the convenience

Ideally pind dan is done after 3 years is what I am aware of. Never hear after a year. After a year, the shradh starts and you have to feed the Brahman, crow, cow etc on that particular tithi.