Amavasya 2026 Dates: New Moon Calendar & Ancestor Worship

Amavasya — the new moon — is one of the most misunderstood sacred days in the Hindu calendar. Popular belief treats Amavasya as a day of ill-omen, a time to stay indoors and avoid beginnings. The classical Dharmashastra tradition tells a different story: Amavasya is the most powerful day of the month for connecting with one's ancestors (Pitru Devatas), performing tarpan (water offerings to departed souls), and accessing the deep spiritual protection that ancestral blessings provide. As of 2026, there are 12 Amavasya dates — each with its own name, deity association, and specific significance.

> Quick Answer: Amavasya 2026 dates: January 29, February 28, March 29, April 27, May 27, June 25, July 24, August 23, September 21, October 20 (Mahalaya Amavasya — the most sacred), November 20 (Diwali Amavasya), December 19. Amavasya is not inauspicious — it is the most powerful day for ancestral worship, tarpan, and Pitru rites. Check today's tithi on our Panchang page.

Reviewed by Dr. Meenakshi Sharma, M.A. Sanskrit & Vedic Studies, Varanasi — as of May 2026.

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Amavasya is the 15th and final tithi of Krishna Paksha — the moment when the Moon and Sun occupy the same degree of the zodiac (conjunction). The Moon is invisible at Amavasya, completely absorbed into the Sun's light. The Sanskrit word "Amavasya" derives from "Ama" (together/home) and "Vasya" (dwelling) — the Moon dwelling together with the Sun, returning to its solar source.

In Vedic cosmology, this moment of conjunction is treated as a threshold — a boundary between the cycles of the Moon, between the world of the living and the world of the ancestors (Pitru Loka). The Garuda Purana, which deals extensively with the nature of the afterlife, states that the Pitru Devatas (ancestral deities) are most accessible from the earthly plane on Amavasya — the boundary moment when the cosmic architecture between worlds is thinnest.

The Vishnu Dharma Sutra states directly: "There is no day more auspicious for Pitru karma than Amavasya." The Dharmasindhu, Nirnayasindhu, and the Pitru Paksha sections of the Brahma Purana all establish Amavasya as the mandatory monthly observance day for ancestral rites.

> Quick Answer: Amavasya is the new moon — the 15th tithi of Krishna Paksha, when the Moon and Sun are in conjunction. The Garuda Purana identifies Amavasya as the day when the boundary between the living world and Pitru Loka (the ancestor realm) is thinnest. The Vishnu Dharma Sutra declares no day more auspicious for ancestral rites. Amavasya's "inauspiciousness" is a cultural misconception — it is specifically auspicious for Pitru karma.

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The popular association of Amavasya with ill-omen arises from a misapplication of one principle: Amavasya is not suitable for activities aimed at new beginnings (weddings, business launches, griha pravesh). This is because the lunar cycle is at zero — the energy of initiation is at its lowest. But "not suitable for new beginnings" is not the same as "inauspicious." These are completely different assessments.

The Dharmashastra tradition is unambiguous: Amavasya is supremely auspicious for its designated purpose — ancestral worship. Just as Ekadashi is not inauspicious for eating (it is specifically for fasting), Amavasya is not inauspicious for new ventures (it is specifically for the ancestors).

The Brahma Vaivarta Purana describes the Pitru Devatas as being in a state of eager waiting on Amavasya — watching the earthly plane for their descendants to remember them and offer tarpan. When tarpan is offered on Amavasya, the ancestors receive it across all the planes they inhabit and dispense blessings of health, fertility, prosperity, and liberation to their living descendants.

> Quick Answer: Amavasya is specifically auspicious for ancestral worship — not inauspicious in general. The Brahma Vaivarta Purana describes ancestors as actively watching for their descendants' offerings on Amavasya. Calling Amavasya "inauspicious" confuses "not suitable for new beginnings" with "negative day." The two are not the same. Amavasya is the most powerful monthly ancestral connection point.

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January 29 — Paush Amavasya

Paush Amavasya falls in the coldest part of winter. The Paush month is considered inauspicious for weddings but highly favourable for solar and ancestral rites. Bathing in sacred rivers on Paush Amavasya, particularly in the Ganga at Varanasi or Prayagraj, is considered meritorious. Tarpan offered on this day specifically benefits ancestors who departed in the winter months.

February 28 — Magha Amavasya

Magha is one of the most sacred months in the Hindu calendar. Magha Amavasya is therefore a particularly powerful day for tarpan and ancestral worship. The Magha Mela pilgrims who have been bathing at Prayagraj throughout the month consider Magha Amavasya one of the peak bathing days. The Padma Purana identifies Magha Amavasya as a day when charitable giving in memory of ancestors is multiplied manifold in its spiritual effect.

March 29 — Chaitra Amavasya

Chaitra Amavasya falls at the threshold of the new Hindu year (Ugadi/Gudi Padwa begins on Chaitra Shukla Pratipada, just after this Amavasya). Performing tarpan on Chaitra Amavasya before the new year begins is considered a completion ritual — honouring the ancestors at the close of one solar cycle before entering the next. The Garuda Purana recommends Chaitra Amavasya specifically for Pitru Pinda Dana (offering rice balls to ancestors).

April 27 — Vaishakha Amavasya

Vaishakha is the most sacred month of the Hindu year (the Skanda Purana devotes an entire section — the Vaishakha Mahatmya — to its glory). Vaishakha Amavasya therefore carries double merit for ancestral rites. The Bhavishya Purana identifies Vaishakha Amavasya as a day when ancestors in the highest realms also receive offerings — not only those in lower realms — making it one of the most broadly effective tarpan days of the year.

May 27 — Jyeshtha Amavasya (Vat Savitri Amavasya)

Jyeshtha Amavasya is observed in many regions as Vat Savitri Vrat — the fast of married women in honour of Savitri, who negotiated with Yama to restore her husband Satyavan's life. The Skanda Purana's account of Savitri is one of the most celebrated stories of conjugal devotion in Sanskrit literature. Women observe this vrat by worshipping the Vat (banyan) tree — which symbolises immortality and the continuity of family lineage — and by fasting throughout the day. (Note: some traditions observe Vat Savitri on Jyeshtha Purnima rather than Amavasya.)

June 25 — Ashadha Amavasya

Ashadha Amavasya precedes the Chaturmas period. Performing tarpan on this Amavasya before Vishnu's sleep (Devshayani Ekadashi follows a few days later) is considered timely and auspicious. The Brahma Vaivarta Purana recommends that before the monsoon season begins — when travel becomes difficult and family life becomes more sedentary — one should complete ancestral rites on the Ashadha Amavasya.

July 24 — Shravana Amavasya

Shravana is the most sacred month of Chaturmas — dedicated to Shiva (Shravan Somvar vrats, Nag Panchami, and numerous other observances). Shravana Amavasya is thus a day when both Shiva worship and ancestral rites are prescribed. The Shiva-Pitru connection in Hindu cosmology holds that Shiva, as Mahakala (lord of time and death), governs the realm in which the Pitru Devatas reside between incarnations. Offering tarpan with Shiva as the presiding deity on Shravana Amavasya is therefore considered particularly efficacious.

August 23 — Bhadrapada Amavasya (Hariyali Amavasya)

Hariyali Amavasya (Green Amavasya) falls in the monsoon season when India is at its most verdant. The name reflects the lush greenery of the Bhadrapada month. This Amavasya is observed particularly in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh, with celebrations combining ancestral worship with nature reverence — planting trees, worshipping plants, and honouring the fertility of the earth alongside the departed souls. The Bhadrapada month also contains the 15-day Pitru Paksha (beginning on the day after Bhadrapada Purnima), making this Amavasya at the beginning of that most intense ancestral period.

September 21 — Ashvina Amavasya (Note on Pitru Paksha timing)

The major Pitru Paksha period concludes on the Ashvina Amavasya, known as Mahalaya Amavasya (see below for October). The Ashvina Amavasya in standard Panchang counting is the new moon ending the Pitru Paksha — though the exact dating depends on the Panchang tradition being followed. Devotees who have been performing Shraddha rites throughout the 15-day Pitru Paksha conclude their ancestral obligations on this day with the Mahalaya Shraddha.

October 20 — Ashvina Amavasya (Mahalaya Amavasya)

Mahalaya Amavasya is the most sacred Amavasya of the entire year — the culmination of Pitru Paksha, the 15-day period dedicated entirely to ancestral worship. The word "Mahalaya" means "the great return" — the Mahapralaya (great dissolution) of individual identity into the ancestral stream.

The Garuda Purana states that on Mahalaya Amavasya, Yama (the king of the dead) releases the souls of all the departed from his realm for one day, allowing them to visit their descendants on Earth and receive the tarpan and Shraddha offered in their name. This is the one day per year when every departed soul — regardless of which realm they currently inhabit — is able to receive the offerings of their living descendants.

The Brahma Vaivarta Purana goes further: even ancestors who have taken new births (who have already reincarnated) receive the benefit of Mahalaya tarpan in their current form, because the karmic connection between souls transcends individual incarnations.

The Bengali tradition of Mahalaya is the most elaborate in India — the predawn recitation of Mahishasura Mardini (Devi Mahatmya verses) on All India Radio, followed by family tarpan at rivers and ponds, marks the beginning of the Durga Puja season.

November 20 — Kartik Amavasya (Diwali Amavasya — Lakshmi Puja Night)

Kartik Amavasya is Diwali — the most celebrated festival in India. The darkness of Amavasya on this night is not treated as inauspicious but as the occasion for the greatest illumination of the year: every household lights lamps to welcome Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity. The Skanda Purana recounts that Lakshmi wanders the Earth on Kartik Amavasya night, looking for homes that are clean, illuminated, and welcoming — and blesses those households with prosperity for the coming year.

Simultaneously, Kartik Amavasya is a profound ancestral day. The lamps lit on Diwali night serve dual purposes — welcoming Lakshmi and illuminating the path for departed ancestors. In many traditions, one lamp is specifically lit outside the home facing south (the direction of Yama/ancestors) to guide ancestral souls.

The Mahabharata's Adiparva describes how the Pandavas, during their exile, observed the custom of lighting lamps on Kartik Amavasya to honour their ancestors and seek their blessings before the great war. Diwali's depth is inseparable from this ancestral dimension.

December 19 — Margashirsha Amavasya

Margashirsha is the month that Krishna identifies as his own in the Bhagavad Gita (Chapter 10, Verse 35): "Among months I am Margashirsha." Margashirsha Amavasya therefore carries Vishnu's special sanctity for tarpan and Pitru rites. Performing Shraddha on this day invokes Vishnu's grace as a direct benefactor of the ancestral offering — the Vishnu Purana specifically praises tarpan performed in the Margashirsha month as particularly meritorious.

> Quick Answer: The 12 Amavasya dates in 2026 span every month from Paush (January 29) through Margashirsha (December 19). The most sacred is Mahalaya Amavasya (October 20) — when Yama releases all departed souls to receive offerings. Diwali Amavasya (November 20) combines Lakshmi worship with ancestral lamp-lighting. Each month's Amavasya is the ideal day for tarpan and Pitru rites.

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Tarpan is the Vedic ritual of offering water to ancestors — a daily or monthly act of ancestral sustenance. The word derives from the Sanskrit root "trp" — to satisfy, to nourish. The Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra identifies Saturn (Shani) and the Moon as the planetary significators of the ancestral realm. The Vamana Purana provides the foundational account of tarpan's origin.

The basic tarpan procedure on Amavasya:

1. Location: Traditionally performed at a river, pond, or any natural body of water. Performed at home if a water body is not accessible, using a copper or brass vessel.

2. Timing: The Kutu Muhurta — the special window called "Kutup" or "Kutapa," which falls around midday — is the prescribed time for Amavasya tarpan. The Dharmasindhu specifies that the Kutupa muhurta is the most effective window for ancestral rites.

3. Materials needed: Sesame seeds (til) — black sesame is specifically prescribed for tarpan. Water from a sacred river is ideal; regular clean water with Ganga Jal added is the common practice. Kusa grass (a specific sacred grass) for the seat and as a ritual implement.

4. The ritual itself: The practitioner sits facing south (the direction of ancestors and Yama). Water mixed with black sesame is poured slowly from the right hand through the gap between the thumb and index finger. For each departed family member, the name and gotra (lineage) are invoked and water is offered with the formula: "Name], of Gotra] gotra, I offer this tarpan to you. May you be satisfied."

5. Categories of ancestors offered tarpan: Three generations of paternal ancestors, three generations of maternal ancestors, the practitioner's guru and teacher lineage, and the broader category of all departed souls who have no living descendant to offer tarpan.

> Quick Answer: Tarpan is water mixed with black sesame, offered to ancestors on Amavasya during the Kutupa Muhurta (midday window). The practitioner faces south, invokes each ancestor by name and gotra, and pours water through the right hand's thumb-index gap. Three generations of paternal and maternal ancestors are individually named. This monthly ritual sustains departed souls and invites ancestral blessings.

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The Garuda Purana, Brahma Vaivarta Purana, and Vishnu Purana all describe the Pitru Devatas as a distinct category of divine beings who occupy a specific realm (Pitru Loka) between the human world and the higher celestial realms. The three classes of Pitru are:

Vasus: The most recently departed — those who died within three generations and whose souls are actively connected to living descendants.

Rudras: Ancestors who departed more than three but less than seven generations ago — increasingly subtle in their connection to the living world.

Adityas: The most ancient ancestors — those who have passed beyond Pitru Loka and entered celestial realms, but who retain connection to their lineage's karmic stream.

The Brahma Purana states that even ancestors who have reincarnated into new human births retain a subtle karmic connection to their lineage. Tarpan benefits these reborn ancestors in their current form — a remarkable claim about the trans-incarnational nature of family karma.

> Quick Answer: The Pitru Devatas are three classes of ancestors: Vasus (within three generations), Rudras (three to seven generations), and Adityas (ancient, celestial ancestors). The Brahma Purana states that tarpan even reaches reincarnated ancestors in their new forms, because family karma transcends individual births. This is why monthly Amavasya tarpan benefits the entire ancestral stream, not just recently departed relatives.

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When Amavasya falls on a Monday (Somvara — the day of Soma/Moon), it is called Somvati Amavasya — one of the rarest and most auspicious combinations in the Panchang. In 2026, check the Panchang page to see whether any of the 12 Amavasya dates fall on Monday.

The Skanda Purana devotes special chapters to Somvati Amavasya, declaring it supremely powerful for: 1. Bathing in sacred rivers (Ganga, Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri) 2. Worship of Shiva alongside ancestral rites 3. Completing Pitru karma that has accumulated over many lifetimes 4. Women's rites for the protection of marital happiness and family longevity

The rarity of Somvati Amavasya — which occurs only when the 29.5-day lunar cycle aligns with the 7-day solar week in the right proportion — gives it exceptional power in the tradition.

> Quick Answer: Somvati Amavasya is the new moon on a Monday — a rare and supremely powerful combination. The Skanda Purana prescribes sacred river bathing, Shiva worship, and ancestral rites on this day, declaring it capable of dissolving lifetimes of accumulated Pitru karma. Check the 2026 Panchang to identify any Somvati Amavasya in the year.

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A person born on Amavasya carries the Sun-Moon conjunction in their natal chart — a condition called "Amavasya Yoga." The Moon in conjunction with the Sun is considered weak in the Vedic Shad Bala system (six-part strength calculation), because the Moon receives no reflected solar light to work with.

In terms of life themes, Amavasya-born individuals often carry a strong ancestral connection — either a pronounced awareness of lineage and heritage, or an active karmic clearing of ancestral patterns. The Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra notes that Amavasya-born individuals benefit greatly from consistent Pitru rites (tarpan, Shraddha) and from Shani-related worship to strengthen the 12th house (the house of liberation and the ancestral realm).

The Janma Tithi of Amavasya-born persons is observed every new moon — a monthly reminder of the ancestral depth that defines their natal chart signature.

To explore your birth tithi and understand the ancestral dimensions of your chart, use our birth chart calculator.

> Quick Answer: People born on Amavasya carry the Sun-Moon conjunction in their natal chart — a condition of Moon weakness in the Shad Bala system but of strong ancestral connection in life themes. The Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra recommends consistent Pitru rites for Amavasya-born individuals to resolve ancestral karmic patterns. Their Janma Tithi is observed every new moon, each month.

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1. What are all the Amavasya dates in 2026? January 29, February 28, March 29, April 27, May 27, June 25, July 24, August 23, September 21, October 20 (Mahalaya), November 20 (Diwali), December 19.

2. Is Amavasya inauspicious? No. Amavasya is specifically inauspicious for new beginnings (weddings, business launches) but supremely auspicious for ancestral rites, tarpan, Pitru worship, and Kali sadhana. The classical Dharmashastra tradition is unambiguous on this point.

3. Which Amavasya in 2026 is the most important? Mahalaya Amavasya (October 20, 2026) is the most sacred — the culmination of the 15-day Pitru Paksha period, when Yama releases all departed souls to receive offerings from their descendants.

4. What is tarpan and how do I perform it? Tarpan is the offering of water mixed with black sesame to ancestors. It is performed on Amavasya facing south, during the Kutupa Muhurta (midday window), by pouring water through the right hand gap for each ancestor named. Three generations of paternal and maternal ancestors are offered individually.

5. What is Somvati Amavasya? Somvati Amavasya is the new moon that falls on a Monday. It is a rare and supremely auspicious combination for sacred river bathing, Shiva worship, and deep ancestral rites. The Skanda Purana considers it capable of dissolving accumulated Pitru karma from many generations.

6. Why is Diwali on Amavasya? Diwali is on Kartik Amavasya — the darkest night of the month, making the festival of lights most dramatic and meaningful. The Skanda Purana says Lakshmi wanders the Earth on this night looking for lit homes to bless. The lamps lit on Diwali night also serve to guide ancestral souls, making Amavasya's ancestral character integral to Diwali's meaning.

7. What is Hariyali Amavasya? Hariyali Amavasya (August 23, 2026) is the "Green Amavasya" of the Bhadrapada month — observed particularly in Rajasthan, MP, and UP by combining ancestral worship with nature reverence (tree planting, plant worship) during the height of the monsoon season.

8. How many times is tarpan offered in a year? Ideally, tarpan is offered on every Amavasya (12 times per year), on each day of Pitru Paksha (15 times), and on specific ancestral festivals. A minimum of monthly Amavasya tarpan satisfies the basic ancestral obligation.

9. Can women perform tarpan? Classical texts are divided on this. The majority Dharmashastra position holds that sons (particularly the eldest son) are the prescribed performers of ancestral rites. However, in the absence of a son, daughters, daughters-in-law, and wives perform these rites — and the tradition broadly accepts women's tarpan as valid and meritorious.

10. What is Vat Savitri Amavasya? Vat Savitri Amavasya (May 27, 2026) is observed by married women in North India as a vrat for the husband's long life, by worshipping the banyan (vat) tree. The story from the Skanda Purana recounts Savitri's defeat of Yama through devotion, wisdom, and love — a story that connects the Amavasya's ancestral threshold energy with the power of conjugal devotion.