Hindu devotees gathered in large numbers on the banks of the River Ganges in Kolkata on 10 October 2026 — Mahalaya — to perform Tarpan, a sacred water offering rite honouring deceased ancestors on the final day of Pitru Paksha. (Photo: NationPress)
Pitru Paksha — the 16 day Hindu period of ancestral reverence — concluded on Mahalaya, 10 October 2026, as devotees waded into the River Ganges in Kolkata to offer Tarpan, cupped palm water libations, to their forebears. (Photo: NationPress)
Tarpan is a Hindu ritual in which devotees offer handfuls of water mixed with sesame seeds and flowers to the souls of deceased ancestors. The ceremony is considered most auspicious when performed on Mahalaya at a sacred river such as the Ganges in Kolkata. (Photo: NationPress)
Mahalaya traditionally signals the arrival of Goddess Durga and marks the start of the final countdown to Durga Puja, West Bengal's grandest festival. Tarpan on this day at the River Ganges in Kolkata draws devotees from across the city and neighbouring districts. (Photo: NationPress)
A lone devotee offered Tarpan at the edge of the River Ganges in Kolkata on 10 October 2026, embodying the deeply personal dimension of Pitru Paksha observance — a private moment of remembrance amid the larger communal gathering on Mahalaya. (Photo: NationPress)