Devotees perform pinddaan rituals in Falgu river in Gaya Tuesday. Picture by Suman

For some, pinddaan is once in a lifetime but for several others, it’s an annual affair with multiple visits to the pilgrim town.

Pooranchand Hukumchand Agarwal ((62) of Jaipur is such a devotee who has been coming to Gaya for the past 41 consecutive years and offering tarpan. “It was in 1966 when I first visited Gaya with my parents when I was 14. Married in 1968, my first child was born in 1970 but died in 1972. Earlier, my elder brother had passed away in 1960 and father in 1967. I came here again in 1973 with wife Gita to perform pinddaan of father, brother, son and other ancestors. It was during this visit that I vowed to visit Gaya every year during Pitripaksh to offer tarpan and organise free food for the poor. I stay here for five days with wife. With the growing age, she has been suffering from arthritis yet we would continue visiting Gaya as far as possible,” he said.

Hemchand Agarwal of Bara bazaar in Calcutta has visited Gaya for the third time this year with wife Kusum Devi. “I had visited Gaya in 1996 and again 2005 to perform pinddaan. My priest Gangadhar Shastri suggested me to perform shraddh during Pitripaksh. Repetition of shraddh is allowed in the shashtras, the priest suggested and said that you will get peace and prosperity in personal and professional life. I felt the change as my export business turned out to be more profit-making than earlier. I decided to visit Gaya and offer shraddh and tarpan on all 17 days of the Pitripaksh. I organise free food in which more than 300 poor people and also the priests are fed besides, clothes also distributed among them,” he said.

There are also people who do not perform shraddh or tarpan but offer service in making the arrangements for the facility of the pilgrims. Calcutta-based social activist Ramesh Kumar Bhaluka has also been distributing khichdi and halwa among the poor. His staff Shankar Lal Agarwal and Ramesh Tiwari said Bhaluka had arrived Gaya last year to perform pinddaan. He saw so many beggars around the Vishnupad temple that he decided to distribute khichdi and halwa every year among them.

Local people are also not behind in philanthropy. Swami Raghwacharya of Ramanuj Math organises bhandara where more than 500 people get meal every day. Local businessman Shivram Dalmiya and Gangadhar Dalmiya organise bhandara.