Seventeen days · all 45 vedis
Vrihad Gaya Shradh - The 17-Day Observance
Seventeen-day Gaya Shradh starts at Punpun and covers all 45 vedis. The longer schedule allows fewer vedis to be visited each day than the three-day arrangement.
Price - pooja by the shastras, full samagri and dakshina
Samagri & Dakshina Included
Written total before booking- Vrihad Gaya Shradh - the seventeen-day observanceStarts at Punpun · 17 days · all 45 vedis + 9 tarpan sthalsShow details₹75,000per family
- Experienced Gayawal Tirth Purohit
- Sankalp with your gotra and pitras
- Phone guidance before you travel
- Local assistance during your visit
There are several kinds of pooja - it depends on your personal situation - call us to choose the right one.
Optional
- Travel to Gaya
- Accommodation and meals
- Local transport, pickup and drop
- Brahmin Bhoj
- Gau Daan and Shaiya Daan
- Voluntary donations or gifts
Your ritual itinerary, from start to finish
- Starts atDay 1 · Punpunentry Shradh and sankalp before reaching Gaya.
- Day 2 · Falgu ghatsnan, tarpan and Pind Daan.
- Day 3 · Brahma Kund → Pret Shila → Ram Kund → Ram Shila → Kakbali.
- Day 4 · Uttar Manas → Udichi → Kankhal → Dakshin Manas.
- Day 5 · Jihvalol → Gadadhar.
- Day 6 · Saraswati → Matangavapi → Dharmaranya → Bodhgaya vedis.
- Day 7 · Brahma Sarovar → Kakbali → Tarak Brahma → Aamra Sinchan.
- Day 8 · Vishnupad → Rudra Pad → Brahma Pad.
- Day 9 · Kartik Pad → Dakshinagni → Garhapatyagni → Ahavaniyagni → Surya Pad.
- Day 10 · Chandra Pad → Ganesh Pad → Sandhyagni → Avasathyagni → Dadhichi Pad → Kanva Pad.
- Day 11 · Matang Pad → Kraunch Pad → Indra Pad → Agastya Pad → Kashyap Pad → Gajakarna Pad.
- Day 12 · Ram Gaya → Sita Kund, on the eastern bank of the Falgu.
- Day 13 · Gayashir → Gaya Kup.
- Day 14 · Munda Prishtha → Adi Gaya → Dhaut Pad.
- Day 15 · Bhim Gaya → Goprachar → Gadalol.
- Day 16 · Falgu → Vaitaranithe prescribed tarpan and Shradh.
- Finishes atDay 17 · Akshay Vatfinal Shradh and Sufal. Any chosen Shaiya Daan is arranged separately.
A car, pickup or drop is not included. It can be arranged and quoted separately.
Three days and seventeen days: the difference
Both the three-day and seventeen-day Gaya Shradh cover all 45 vedis. The three-day arrangement starts at the Falgu and visits more vedis each day. The seventeen-day arrangement starts with the entry shraddh at Punpun and spreads the 45 vedis over more days, with fewer visited each day. Choose according to the time your family can give and the daily schedule you can manage.
Forty-five vedis, nine tarpan sthals
The Pandaji’s own vidhi list calls this the seventeen-day tripakshik shraddh. The accounts in current use name forty-five places for pind daan and nine for tarpan - fifty-four in all. This is why the count of Gaya's vedis is given variously as forty-five or fifty-four: both numbers are right, counting different things. The seventeen days cover all of them.
Tithi-wise places and rituals
This is the tithi order, not a list of separate calendar days or 45 unique vedis. Adjacent tithis can fall on one date.
| Tithi | Place and rite |
|---|---|
| Bhadrapada Shukla Chaturdashi | Punpun: entry Shradh. |
| Bhadrapada Purnima | Falgu: bathing, tarpan and Shradh. |
| Ashwin Krishna Pratipada | Brahma Kund, Pret Shila, Ram Shila and Ram Kund; Kakbali in this circuit. |
| Krishna Dwitiya | Panchtirthi: Uttar Manas, Udichi, Kankhal, Dakshin Manas and Jihvalol; Gadadhar worship. |
| Krishna Tritiya | Saraswati Tirth, Matangavapi and Dharmaranya; Bodhitaru darshan. |
| Krishna Chaturthi | Brahma Sarovar: Shradh and Kakbali; Tarak Brahma darshan and watering the mango tree (Amra Sinchan). |
| Krishna Panchami | Vishnupad, Rudra Pad and Brahma Pad. |
| Krishna Shashthi | Kartik Pad, Dakshinagni Pad, Garhapatyagni Pad and Ahavaniyagni Pad. |
| Krishna Saptami | Surya Pad, Chandra Pad, Ganesh Pad, Sandhyagni Pad, Avasathyagni Pad and Dadhichi Pad. |
| Krishna Ashtami | Kanva Pad, Matang Pad, Kraunch Pad, Agastya Pad, Indra Pad and Kashyap Pad; Gajakarna milk tarpan. |
| Krishna Navami | Ram Gaya and Sita Kund on the eastern bank of the Falgu. |
| Krishna Dashami | Gayashir and Gaya Koop. |
| Krishna Ekadashi | Munda Prishtha, Adi Gaya and Dhaut Pad. |
| Krishna Dwadashi | Bhim Gaya, Goprachar and Gadalol. |
| Krishna Trayodashi | Vishnu worship and milk tarpan at the Falgu. |
| Krishna Chaturdashi | Vaitarani: tarpan and the prescribed daan. |
| Amavasya | Akshay Vat: Shradh, shayya daan and Sufal. |
Sources for the tithi order
The tithi sequence was checked against the Vishnupad committee schedule reported by Gaya Live and the traditional sequence recorded in Bharatkosh. Ritual guidance reviewed by Pandit Omkar Nath Agniwar.
What each day looks like
The rite depends on the place and tithi. Pind offerings, tarpan, deity worship, darshan and the closing Sufal have different roles; each is performed in its prescribed place in the sequence.
Who takes seventeen days
Very few families. It asks for a Pandaji committed for the whole period and for the family to stay in Gaya throughout. Families come to it after a death that has left the household unsettled, where earlier rites were never completed, or where the karta has resolved to do the observance in full once. If you are unsure whether it is warranted, say so on the call - we will tell you plainly if the shorter rite is enough.
Tell us what you need
Included in the pooja price
What's included
- Samagri & Dakshina Included
- Asan (seating mats for the puja)
- A dedicated Gayawal Pandaji for all seventeen days
- Pind Daan at all forty-five vedis and tarpan at the nine tarpan sthals
- Complete samagri at every vedi, day by day
- Sankalp in the family's name and gotra at each offering
- Entry shraddh at Punpun on the first day
- The Suphal at the Akshay Vat on the seventeenth day
Gaya’s hereditary Gayawal priesthood
Gayawal Pandas are Gaya’s traditional pilgrimage priests. Ritual knowledge and relationships with pilgrim families pass from one generation to the next within these priestly families. Historical research documents this family-based priesthood in Gaya over centuries.
History of the Gayawal priesthood: Tirthankar Roy · The Journal of Asian Studies
Read guidance reviewed by a practising Gayawal pandit
Gaya’s 45 Vedis: Pind Daan Places and Ritual OrderArticle reviewed by Pandit Omkar Nath Agniwar · Reviewed:
Questions families ask
Frequently asked questions
What is the cost of the 17-day Vrihad Gaya Shradh?
The arrangement costs ₹75,000 per family, with the purohit, samagri and dakshina for the prescribed 17-day programme. It begins at Punpun and covers 45 pind vedis and nine tarpan sites. Confirm accommodation, daily transport and any chosen daan separately before booking.
How does the seventeen-day Shradh differ from the three-day arrangement?
Both the three-day and seventeen-day Gaya Shradh cover [all 45 vedis](/blog/all-vedis-of-gaya-list). The three-day arrangement starts at the Falgu and visits more vedis each day. The seventeen-day arrangement starts with the entry shraddh at Punpun and spreads the 45 vedis over more days, with fewer visited each day. Choose according to the time your family can give and the daily schedule you can manage.
Do we have to stay in Gaya for all seventeen days?
Plan for the full seventeen-day schedule, beginning at Punpun before continuing to Gaya. Confirm the arrival, accommodation and daily travel plan before booking.
Why do some lists say forty-five vedis and others fifty-four?
Forty-five are the pind vedis and nine are the tarpan sthals. Fifty-four is the two counted together. Both numbers are correct.
Where does the seventeen-day Shradh begin?
It begins with the entry shraddh at Punpun. The three-day arrangement begins at the Falgu. Both arrangements cover all 45 vedis.
Is the shayya daan included?
No, it is charged separately. It falls on the seventeenth day and most families do it, but what is given - the bed, cloth and household articles - varies, so it is quoted on its own rather than folded into the fee.
Can the seventeen days be shortened?
If you have three days, choose the three-day arrangement starting at the Falgu: it also covers all 45 vedis, with more visited each day. The seventeen-day arrangement starts at Punpun and follows its own daily schedule.
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Vrihad Gaya Shradh - the seventeen-day observance - Talk to us
Tell us your family’s circumstances and the rites already performed. We explain the appropriate vidhi, how to prepare and what the ceremony includes. You receive the arrangements and cost in writing before booking.
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