A devotee prepares traditional offerings of rice balls (pindas), sacred grass (kusha) and flower petals for Pind Daan at Devghat in Gaya, Bihar on 26 September 2026, as part of the Pitru Paksha Mela. (Photo: NationPress)
Devotees sit in groups on the banks of the Falgu River at Devghat, Gaya, offering rice balls, flowers, sacred grass and water during Shradh and Pind Daan rites on 26 September 2026 at the Pitru Paksha Mela. (Photo: NationPress)
Undeterred by heavy rainfall, devotees covered their heads with plastic sheets and bags to continue Pind Daan and Shradh rituals at Devghat, Gaya on 26 September 2026 — a testament to the deep faith driving pilgrims to the Pitru Paksha Mela. (Photo: NationPress)
A devotee performs Tarpan — a water libation rite — pouring water from a brass vessel with sacred kusha grass on the banks of the Falgu River at Devghat, Gaya on 26 September 2026 during the Pitru Paksha Mela. (Photo: NationPress)
Pilgrims at Devghat, Gaya perform Pind Daan with offerings of rice balls, flowers and sacred water during the Pitru Paksha Mela on 26 September 2026 in Gaya district, Bihar. (Photo: NationPress)
Pilgrims from across India converged at Devghat on the Falgu River in Gaya, Bihar on 26 September 2026 to perform Pind Daan and related ancestral rites during the Pitru Paksha Mela — one of Hinduism's most sacred observances for honouring departed ancestors. (Photo: NationPress)