Pehowa, Haryana

Why this place matters

Pehowa, in the Kurukshetra district of Haryana, is an ancient tirtha on the banks of the Saraswati. The old name is Prithudaka (udaka = water), after King Prithu. According to tradition, Prithu performed the funeral rites for his father Vena here and offered water to all comers for twelve days. Another tradition links the Pandavas with rites performed here for the dead of the Mahabharata war.

Local belief holds that rites done here bring peace to ancestors, and families also come here for relatives who died suddenly or in accidents. The place is also one of the very ancient pilgrim centres of the Kurukshetra region, often visited together with Kurukshetra.

Pehowa's best-known tradition is of rites for ancestors in general. For rites specifically for one's mother, many families look to Sidhpur in Gujarat; if your family has a custom of remembering a mother at Pehowa, a local priest can guide you.

Rituals performed here

• The Saraswati tirtha (Prithudak) and tank: Pilgrims bathe, offer Tarpan (tarpan = water offering with sesame to ancestors), and perform Pind Daan and Shraddha on the banks, guided by priests. The sacred pond is the centre of the Chaitra fair.
• Temples: The temple of Prithu, the Saraswati and other shrines are visited on the same trip.
• The fair: The Chaitra Chaudas fair is reported to run for about three days, when large numbers of pilgrims come for Pind Daan and Tarpan.

Traditions vary; follow your family's custom or your priest's guidance. For the general method see the Pind Daan vidhi and Tarpan vidhi guides on this site.

Best time to visit

Traditional occasions. The Chaitra Chaudas fair is held on Chaitra Krishna Chaturdashi in the purnimanta reckoning, the fourteenth tithi of the dark fortnight just before the spring new moon, and runs for a few days. Amavasya days, Somvati Amavasya and Pitru Paksha are also kept. Dates are set by the panchang; the fair dates are announced by the authorities.

Practical season. The fair falls in early spring, when the days are warm and the nights cool. October to March is pleasant in general, with fog and cold in December and January. May and June are very hot, and July to September is humid with monsoon showers. Fair days are extremely crowded.

Planning your visit

Pehowa has hereditary priests (pandas), and many North Indian families have long-standing ties with one. Ask your elders. Records of visiting families are kept by some.

• Book through an official or well-reviewed channel, and agree on the scope of the rite and the dakshina (dakshina = the priest's offering) before beginning. Beware of touts at the bus stand and the tank.
• Time needed: a rite takes a morning. Allow a day, and combine it with Kurukshetra if you wish.
• Getting there: Pehowa lies west of Kurukshetra town by road, with buses and taxis from Kurukshetra and Ambala. The nearest large airports are Chandigarh and Delhi, each a few hours away by road; the nearest main railway station is at Kurukshetra.
• What to wear and carry: modest clothes you can bathe in, a spare set, a towel, sandals, a hat, water.

Practical tips

• On fair days, vehicle access is restricted and sectors are set up for crowd control. Follow official instructions.
• The tank edge is crowded and wet; keep the elderly and children close.
• Facilities are modest outside the fair, so carry water and snacks.
• Book rooms ahead in Kurukshetra for the fair week.
• Official information is available from the Kurukshetra district administration and the Haryana government.