📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Surajkumar12111
Religion
Devotees gather at 16-altar pavilion of Vishnupad Temple on 7th day of Gayaji Pitrupaksh fair
✍️ Amar Ujala · Gaya
🗓 01 Oct 2026, 09:01 AM
👁 9
On the seventh day of the Gayaji Pitrupaksh fair and the sixth day of Gaya Shradha, the 16‑altar pavilion at Vishnupad Temple became the main hub for pilgrims performing pind‑daan and gazkarn tarpan.
The Gayaji Pitrupaksh fair entered its seventh day on Saturday, coinciding with the sixth day of the annual Gaya Shradha rituals. Devotees converged on the Vishnupad Temple complex in Gaya, Bihar, where a specially erected pavilion housing sixteen altars (16 vedi) drew the largest crowds.
The sixteen‑altar pavilion serves as the designated space for performing pind‑daan, the offering of rice balls to ancestors, and gazkarn tarpan, a ritual involving the offering of water to the departed. Both rites are central to the Hindu observance of honoring forebears during Pitrupaksh.
Organisers reported that the pavilion, situated within the temple’s sacred precinct, was fully occupied throughout the day as families from across the state gathered to complete their ancestral rites. The concentration of worshippers underscores the enduring cultural importance of Gaya as a pilgrimage hub during this period.
Local authorities have ensured smooth crowd management and basic amenities at the site, allowing the rituals to proceed without major disruptions. The event highlights the continued relevance of traditional practices in contemporary religious life.
The sixteen‑altar pavilion serves as the designated space for performing pind‑daan, the offering of rice balls to ancestors, and gazkarn tarpan, a ritual involving the offering of water to the departed. Both rites are central to the Hindu observance of honoring forebears during Pitrupaksh.
Organisers reported that the pavilion, situated within the temple’s sacred precinct, was fully occupied throughout the day as families from across the state gathered to complete their ancestral rites. The concentration of worshippers underscores the enduring cultural importance of Gaya as a pilgrimage hub during this period.
Local authorities have ensured smooth crowd management and basic amenities at the site, allowing the rituals to proceed without major disruptions. The event highlights the continued relevance of traditional practices in contemporary religious life.