Pitru Paksha aur Gaya ji

For fifteen days before Mahalaya, Gaya becomes the busiest pilgrimage town in Bihar as families come to offer pind to their ancestors.

Teen pramukh sthal

• Vishnupad mandir — built around a footprint of Vishnu in rock; the main pind vedi.
• Phalgu nadi — mostly a sand bed in this season; water is drawn by digging the sand.
• Akshayvat — the undying banyan where the rites conclude.

Dhyan rakhein

• Book a registered Gayawal panda through the temple committee; agree on dakshina beforehand.
• Trains to Gaya Junction run full; Bodh Gaya hotels are a good backup.
• Pind daan can be done one day (ek-dini), three days or the full seventeen days.