📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Kingshuk Mondal
Religion
Thousands Gather Across Andhra Pradesh for Mahalaya Amavasya Ancestor Rites
✍️ The Times of India
🗓 11 Oct 2026, 02:01 AM
👁 14
On Mahalaya Amavasya, thousands of people across Andhra Pradesh performed traditional rites to honor their ancestors.
Mahalaya Amavasya, the auspicious new moon that marks the beginning of the Pitru Paksha period, was observed on Saturday with massive participation across Andhra Pradesh. Devotees gathered at temples, riverbanks and community halls to perform rites aimed at appeasing and remembering their forebears.
Reports from several districts indicated that crowds ranging from a few hundred to several thousand assembled to offer tarpan, light lamps and recite mantras. In coastal towns such as Visakhapatnam and Kakinada, families performed the traditional "Pind Daan" ceremony, while in interior regions like Anantapur, people gathered at local shrines to chant sacred verses.
Cultural experts noted that the scale of participation reflects the deep-rooted belief in honoring ancestors during this lunar phase, which is considered essential for familial well‑being. Local authorities facilitated the gatherings by arranging water supply and ensuring crowd safety, but no major incidents were reported.
Reports from several districts indicated that crowds ranging from a few hundred to several thousand assembled to offer tarpan, light lamps and recite mantras. In coastal towns such as Visakhapatnam and Kakinada, families performed the traditional "Pind Daan" ceremony, while in interior regions like Anantapur, people gathered at local shrines to chant sacred verses.
Cultural experts noted that the scale of participation reflects the deep-rooted belief in honoring ancestors during this lunar phase, which is considered essential for familial well‑being. Local authorities facilitated the gatherings by arranging water supply and ensuring crowd safety, but no major incidents were reported.