Online 'Pinda Daan' Scrapped

The Bihar government has decided to cancel its plan for an online facility for Hindus to offer “ pinda daan”, a religious service seeking salvation for the dead from the cycle of rebirth, following stiff opposition from the priests who conduct the rituals in the holy town of Gaya.

“The government has decided not to launch the online facility,” said an official Friday after a high-level meeting to discuss the arrangements for the Pitrapaksh fair that begins Sep 3.

Thousands of Hindus from across India and abroad gather in Gaya, about 100 km from here, to offer “pinda daan” during the fortnight-long Pitrapaksh period.

In June, Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi had announced the government’s decision to introduce a video-conferencing facility for Indians abroad for “pinda daan”.

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However, the priests who have been conducting the rituals for centuries described the government’s decision as “interference” and an “attack on an age-old religious service”.

The priests also won support from a section of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), with ministers Ashwani Kumar Choubey and Prem Kumar asking the government to reverse its decision.

As part of the “pinda daan” rituals, devotees shave their heads and take a dip in the pond called Baitarni on the banks of the Falgu river. Some of the prayers are held at the famous Vishnupad temple named after god Vishnu. Priests, known as Gaywal-Pandas, conduct the ritual.

“The soul keeps wandering till this ritual is performed by male descendants of the dead,” priest Murari Lal said.

Legend has it that Lord Rama and his wife Sita performed this religious rite for his father, King Dasharath.