Ghata Chaturdashi Shraddha 2026: Shraddha for Untimely and Violent Deaths

Chaturdashi Shraddha in 2026 is on Friday, 9 October. It is the one tithi shraddha of the fortnight with a rule of its own: it is kept only for those who died an untimely or violent death. It is known as Ghata or Ghayal Chaturdashi.

• Date: Friday, 9 October 2026
• Chaturdashi tithi: 10:17 PM on 8 October to 9:37 PM on 9 October
• Kutup muhurat: 11:44 AM – 12:31 PM
• Rauhina muhurat: 12:31 PM – 1:18 PM
• Aparahna: 1:18 PM – 3:38 PM
• Times: Delhi

Who is honoured on Chaturdashi

The day is set aside for those whose lives ended suddenly and before their time — by a weapon, in an accident, through violence, or by their own hand. The tradition calls such a death akala mrityu, untimely death, and gives it a shraddha of its own on the day before the fortnight closes. It applies whatever the tithi on which the death took place.

If your ancestor died naturally on a Chaturdashi

This is the rule people most often miss. An ancestor who passed away peacefully on a Chaturdashi tithi is not honoured on this day. Their shraddha moves to Sarva Pitru Amavasya, Saturday, 10 October — see Sarva Pitru Amavasya 2026. Chaturdashi is reserved entirely for untimely deaths, which is why the day carries a separate name.

How the 2026 date was worked out

Chaturdashi begins at 10:17 PM on Thursday, 8 October and ends at 9:37 PM on Friday, 9 October. It holds the whole of Friday's afternoon (Aparahna), from 1:18 PM to 3:38 PM, which is the part of the day that decides a shraddha. The full fortnight is in the shraddha calendar for 2026.

How the shraddha is performed

The rites are the ordinary ones — tarpan facing south with water, black sesame and kusha grass, the pinda, and the meal, with portions for a cow, a dog and the crows — begun in the Kutup muhurat at 11:44 AM and completed before 3:38 PM. Many families also light a lamp for the departed and give food or help to those in need in their name. The complete procedure is in the Pitru Paksha 2026 guide.

A sudden death leaves a family with a particular kind of grief, and the tradition's answer is simply that such a life is not left unremembered: it is given its own day, apart, so that nothing about the way it ended stands between the departed and the offering.

Frequently asked questions

When is Chaturdashi shraddha in 2026?
On Friday, 9 October 2026. Chaturdashi runs from 10:17 PM on 8 October to 9:37 PM on 9 October and holds the whole afternoon.

Who is Ghata Chaturdashi shraddha for?
Only for those who died an untimely or violent death — by a weapon, in an accident, through violence or by suicide — whatever the tithi on which they died.

My grandfather died naturally on a Chaturdashi. When is his shraddha?
On Sarva Pitru Amavasya, Saturday, 10 October 2026. The tradition reserves Chaturdashi for untimely deaths, so a natural death on that tithi is honoured on Amavasya instead.

Is anything done differently for an untimely death?
The core rites are the same. What differs is the day. Many families add a lamp and charity in the name of the departed; for rites beyond the ordinary shraddha, consult your purohit.

What is the muhurat for Chaturdashi shraddha 2026?
In Delhi, Kutup is 11:44 AM to 12:31 PM, Rauhina 12:31 PM to 1:18 PM, and the Aparahna 1:18 PM to 3:38 PM.