Special significance of Tritiya, Chaturdashi

Pehowa/ October 10/Daljeet Ajnoha
— The Tritiya, Chaturdashi and Amavasya days of Pitru Paksha hold special importance for performing ancestral rites and seeking peace and salvation for forefathers, said Acharya Deepak Kumar, head of the Gaddi of Pandit Gangaram (Bharat) and the Akhil Bharatiya Shri Acharya Brahmin Purohit Akhara, at Saraswati Teerth (Prithudak) here.
Addressing devotees, Acharya Deepak Kumar said Pitru Paksha is observed from the full moon to the new moon and comprises 16 shradh rituals dedicated to expressing reverence for ancestors. According to religious tradition, the period from Ekadashi to Amavasya is considered especially significant.
He said thousands of devotees from across the country have been visiting the Saraswati Prithudak Teerth in Pehowa during the fortnight to perform rituals, ceremonies and tarpan for their ancestors under the guidance of priests at the Gaddi of Pandit Gangaram.
On Chaturdashi, Pandit Mohit Sharma and Pandit Vikas Sharma performed the complete Pitru Pujan rituals for devotees.
In a joint statement, Acharya Deepak Kumar, Pandit Vikas Sharma and Pandit Mohit Sharma said that Tritiya, Chaturdashi and Amavasya are considered particularly auspicious during Pitru Paksha. Devotees offer tarpan to their ancestors and make donations to priests during the rituals, believing these acts bring peace to the departed souls, freedom from pitra dosha and salvation for the ancestors.
Pehowa’s Prithudak Teerth, situated on the banks of the Saraswati, is regarded as one of the major ancestral pilgrimage sites in the Kurukshetra region, with references in the Mahabharata and Vayu Purana