tarpan
Sacred places for Shradh rituals
Pitru Paksha is a special time period during the Hindu year when Hindus pay homage to the departed souls of their ancestors by performing Shradh rituals at holy locations. Few of such sacred locations are as follows:
Varanasi: Varanasi is one of the seven sacred spots for Hindus and is widely known as the ‘Religious capital of India’. Pindan puja or Shanti Paath in Varanasi helps the soul attain salvation through fulfilment.
Allahabad: Situated at the confluence of three holy rivers: Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati; the city of Allahabad is piously sacred and important. To perform Pind Daan Kriya ceremony at the sangam ghat is considered highly auspicious for the departed souls; especially during Pitru Paksha Mela.
Ayodhya: Ayodhya is the birth place of Hindu God Shri Ram, said to be located above the Sudarshan Chakra of Lord Vishnu. Bharata Kund is a sacred place for offering Pind Daan kriya. It is believed that the departed souls attain salvation if the Shradh rituals are performed here.
Ujjain: One of the religious destinations of India, the city has wide range of religious and spiritual interest. By performing Pind daan kriya in Ujjain, the unfulfilled desires and services can be provided to the departed souls.
Haridwar: Haridwar as a place is known for its importance in conducting puja towards all deities as well as towards our deceased ancestors. The pujas including Pind Daan and yearly shraddha ritual can be performed here and have high religious importance.
Mathura: The city of majestic temples and huge religious history is believed to be the sacred place for performing pujan and tarpan to the pitras.
Kurukshetra: The historic and religious importance is widely known by all. Performing shradh ceremonies on the bank of river Saraswati frees the departed soul from the cycle of birth and death.
Gaya: The ancient city in Bihar on the banks of the river Phagu is quite important in Hinduism and is eternally blessed by the power of Lord Vishnu. It is one of the holiest locations for performing Shradh rituals.
Jagannath Puri: Situated on sea shore of Bay of Bengal in State of Orissa, the city caters to the religious needs of lakhs of devotees. It is widely known for conducting shradh rituals for the departed souls.
Dwarka: Being one of the 4 dhams, the place is one of the known moksh-daayi cities. The city is highly auspicious for performing shradh rites, as it is the city of Lord Krishna himself.
How to remove Pitra Dosh: Remedies
Past cannot be undone and future is unpredictable but the present can be glorified by our acts. Due to whatever reason, the shortcomings occurred in our birth chart and created stress but the blessings of our elders and God Almighty can always be a silver lining for us. Ayurvedic treatment may be long lasting and arduous but cures the disease from its roots. Similarly, it is mentioned in our Vedas that pleasing the ancestors and remembering them truly curtail our problems.
First and foremost, performing ‘Shradh puja’ is considered to be the auspicious act to tranquillise the departed soul of our ancestors.
How Shradh puja is performed? 
The holy puja is performed on the death date of the person or on the no moon (Amavasya) day of any month or during the 15 lunar moon days.
By offering water, scented flowers, couch grass and sesame seeds through ‘Pitra dosh nivaran’.
‘Tarpan’ is the offerings made during the process along with chanting of mantras.
Favourite cuisines are specially prepared and offered to the priest or Brahmin after the puja.
After feeding the Brahmins, food or ‘prasadam’ is placed in the balcony or terrace walls so that the crows can feed upon them, symbolic to our ancestors.
At the end, Lord Vishnu is worshipped by chanting the mantra:
ll Yasya Smirtya cha Namoktaya Tapoyagya Kriyadishu,
Newnam Sampurntam Yati Sadhyo Vande Tamchayutam ll
To remove Pitra Dosh offer prayers to ancestors: http://shubhpuja.com/pitradoshshanti-id-344736.html
- Another solution is that on the day of any somwatianavasya (i.e. Amavasya on Monday), visit the peepal tree and offer ‘janeu’ to the tree and also to Lord Vishnu. Do 108 ‘parikrama’ of the tree by faithfully chanting ‘Om namobhagwate Vaasudewaya’. Have faith in him and seek forgiveness for your ill deeds.
- Pinddaan is offering rice, cow’s milk, ghee, food, sugar and honey to the ancestors, whole heartedly.
- Feed cows with ghee and rice balls every Saturday.
- Stand on the mat during sunrise and chant ‘Gayatri mantra’ to strengthen the position of Sun in your horoscope.
- Helping the poor and disabled and remembering your ancestors is an easy path to receive blessings for them.
- Avoid consumption of non-vegetarian food, alcohol and other such tamasic edibles along with outside food.
- In the south direction of your habitat, hang portraits of your ancestors and greet them with fresh flowers garland.
- Respect and seek blessings from the elders at our home, as their blessings is the only way to receive peace and happiness.
- Offer regular donations to hospitals or temples in the name of our ancestors and if possible, assist in the education and marriage of orphan girls.
Performing ‘pitra
dosh nivaran puja’ or ‘pitra dosh santushti puja’ is also one of the remedy to depart the negative effects and get rid of pitra dosh.
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