🕯️ Antim Sanskar & Shraddh · अंतिम संस्कार एवं श्राद्ध
Also called Antyeshti · Last rites · Terahvin · Shraddh Karma · अंत्येष्टि
Antim Sanskar — Antyeshti, the last sacrifice — is the final of the sixteen sanskaras: the rites by which a family gives the body of someone they have lost to the fire, and then, over the days that follow, helps the departed on their way and returns to ordinary life themselves. The shraddh rites that come after are part of the same duty, repeated in remembrance each year.
Pick a date and time and pay — our team assigns a verified pandit who specialises in this ritual.
The rites, from the cremation to the thirteenth day
At the cremation the pandit guides the chief mourner — by custom the eldest son, though families decide this for themselves — through the preparation of the body, the offering of pind, the circumambulation and the lighting of the pyre. The ashes are collected, usually on the third day, for immersion in the Ganga or another sacred river.
Through the mourning period the Garuda Purana is read in many homes and pind are offered for the departed. The rites of the tenth, eleventh and twelfth days follow, and the thirteenth day — terahvin — closes the mourning with a havan, the feeding of brahmins and, in many North Indian families, the pagri rasam. The days and their names differ by community; the pandit follows your family's practice.
Shraddh, barsi and pind daan
Shraddh is the offering made to the departed afterwards: on the monthly tithi through the first year in some families, on the first anniversary, the barsi, and every year in Pitru Paksha on the tithi of the death. It consists of tarpan — water with black sesame — pind daan, and the feeding of a brahmin, a cow and crows.
A pandit can be booked for any one of these on its own. Tell us the tithi of passing if you know it; if you know only the calendar date, the pandit will work the tithi out.
If you need a pandit now
A cremation cannot wait on a booking form. Please telephone us on the number on the contact page, and we will tell you plainly whether a pandit can reach you in time. Our phone is answered during support hours; outside them, the cremation ground's own purohit is the right person to ask, and we can arrange everything that follows.
For the later rites, tell us your community and the customs your family keeps — how many days of mourning, which ceremonies you wish to hold. The pandit will give you the samagri list and explain each step to the person performing it, who has very often never done so before.
Antim Sanskar & Shraddh · अंतिम संस्कार एवं श्राद्ध — common questions
Can I book a pandit for the terahvin alone?
Yes. Any of the rites — the terahvin, the barsi, a Pitru Paksha shraddh — can be booked on its own.
How long do the rites take?
About three hours for a single rite such as the terahvin or a shraddh with pind daan. The mourning-period rites are spread over several days.
Can a daughter perform the last rites?
Many families today have a daughter, a wife or another relative perform them. It is the family's decision, and the pandit will guide whoever takes the role.
What if we do not know the tithi of death?
Tell us the date and approximate time of passing and the pandit will work out the tithi. Where even that is unknown, shraddh is offered on Sarva Pitru Amavasya, the last day of Pitru Paksha.
Ready to book your Antim Sanskar & Shraddh?
Choose your date and time and pay online. We arrange the pandit and confirm your booking.
Book this pooja →Choosing a date
See the tithi, nakshatra and Rahu Kaal for any day in today's panchang and the Hindu calendar for the month. The muhurat for your own ceremony is calculated by the pandit from your family's details once you book.
Often performed at: Pitru Paksha · पितृ पक्ष · Sarva Pitru Amavasya · सर्व पितृ अमावस्या · Amavasya · अमावस्या
Book Antim Sanskar & Shraddh in your city
Pandits travel across Delhi NCR for this ritual: Antim Sanskar & Shraddh pandit in Delhi · Antim Sanskar & Shraddh pandit in Noida · Antim Sanskar & Shraddh pandit in Greater Noida · Antim Sanskar & Shraddh pandit in Ghaziabad · Antim Sanskar & Shraddh pandit in Gurugram · Antim Sanskar & Shraddh pandit in Faridabad · Antim Sanskar & Shraddh pandit in Meerut.
Pandits who perform Antim Sanskar & Shraddh
Pandit Aacharya Anand Chandra Pandey (Ghaziabad) · Pandit Acharya Rajan Prasad Tripathi Ji (Delhi) · Pandit Bhaskar Tiwari (Delhi) · Pandit Pt Yogiraj Sastri (Delhi) · Pandit Shivprasad Tiwari (Prayagraj) · Prakash Chandra Joshi (Delhi).
Every pandit is interviewed before joining. Who runs AaradhyaHub and how pandits are verified.
Other poojas
Often booked alongside Antim Sanskar & Shraddh: Pitra Dosh Shanti · पितृ दोष शांति · Bhagavad Gita Path · भगवद्गीता पाठ · Shrimad Bhagwat Katha · श्रीमद्भागवत कथा.
Griha Pravesh Pooja · Satyanarayan Katha · Navagraha Shanti Pooja · Rudrabhishek Pooja · Vivah Sanskar · Ganesh Puja · Mahamrityunjaya Jaap · Bhoomi Pujan · Vastu Shanti Pooja · Mundan Sanskar · Namkaran Sanskar · Manglik Dosh Nivaran Pooja · Lakshmi Puja · Karwa Chauth Puja · Kuber Lakshmi Puja · Durga Puja · Navchandi Path · Hanuman Puja · Janmashtami Katha · Saraswati Puja · Shiv Puja · Annaprashan Sanskar · Godh Bharai · Upanayana Sanskar · Sagai Ceremony · Vahan Puja · Shop & Office Opening Pooja · Ayushya Havan · Sundarkand Path · Akhand Ramayan Path · Vishnu Sahasranama Path · Gayatri Havan · Kaal Sarp Dosh Nivaran
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