What is the importance of Pind Daan?

Pind daan as per Hindu belief is a ritual to offer homage to the departed soul. Pind daan in Gaya and other places is a very important Hindu ritual and is performed by the relatives of the person who left for the heavenly abode.

What is Pind Daan in Hindu mythology?

Pind Daan is an offering to the dead elders. It mainly consists of cooked rice mixed with black sesame seeds. Small dumplings of this mixture are offered to crows. These birds are believed to be the representatives of Yama (God or death) or the agents of the dead.

Do we need to do Pind Daan every year?

Pind daan can be done through the year, but pitrapaksha or an 18-day period before Navratri is believed to be especially auspicious. An estimated 10 to 15 lakh pilgrims visit Gaya during pitrapaksha every year to perform pind daan.

What is Pind Daan and why is it important?

Like Asthi Visarjan, Pind Daan is also aimed to give relief to the departed soul as it journeys towards its next destination within the complete evolutionary process. The ritual helps the soul cut its ties and attachments with the material human body because holding back on this detachment causes the soul a lot of pain.

Why is Gaya so important for Pind Daan as per Hindu belief?

Among all, Gaya Ji is regarded as the most sacred place for pind daan. Here are some of the reasons as to why Gaya is so important for pind daan as per Hindu belief: Gaya has a strong rich history, let it be ancient, middle, or modern. Particularly, for Hindu, Gaya is the land of salvation.

Where to offer pind daan offers in India?

Bodhgaya, not so far from Gaya (around 10 KM) is another important place for Hindus for pind daan offerings. As per Hindu’s religious text, Lord Rama visited Gaya Ji around 12 lakh years ago during Treta Yuga to offer pind daan for his father Dasaratha.

Who offered pind daan to his father Dashratha?

As per mythological scriptures, Lord Rama offered Pind Daan to his father Dashratha at this place. It is believed that Rama belonged to Treta Yuga. This yuga covered 12,96,000 mortal years. After Treta, came Dwapar yuga covering 8,64,000 mortal years.