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Piṇḍas are balls of cooked
Piṇḍas are balls of cooked rice
Rice is the seed of the grass species '' Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera '' Zizania'' and '' Porteresia'', both wild and domesticat ...
mixed with ghee
Ghee is a type of clarified butter, originating from India. It is commonly used in India for cooking, as a traditional medicine, and for religious rituals.
Description
Ghee is typically prepared by simmering butter, which is churned from ...
and black sesame seeds offered to ancestors during Hindu funeral rites (Antyesti
Antyesti (IAST: Antyeṣṭi, sa, अन्त्येष्टि) literally means "last sacrifice", and refers to the funeral rites for the dead in Hinduism, which usually involves cremation of the body. This rite of passage is the last sa ...
) and ancestor worship (Śrāddha
Śrāddha ( sa, श्राद्ध) is a Sanskrit word which literally means anything or any act that is performed with all sincerity and absolute faith in it. In the Hindu religion, it is the ritual that one performs to pay homage to one's ' ...
). According to traditions in the Garuda Puran, offering a pinda to a recently departed soul helps to unite the soul with its ancestors.Gold, Ann (2000). ''Fruitful Journeys: The Ways of Rajasthani Pilgrims''. Prospect Heights, Illinois: Waveland Press Inc. p. 90. . Pindas can be placed on a recently deceased person's hands and feet on their way to a funeral pyre. Pindas are offered to both maternal and paternal lineages. When making an offering of pindas the first can be offered to the father (or for widow's, their husband), the 2nd their father's father, the third their father's father's father, the 4th their mother, the 5th their father's mother, the 6th their father's mother's mother, and so on to cover ancestors from all sides of the family.
References
Death and Hinduism Objects used in Hindu worship Barley-based dishes Food and drink in Hinduism {{Hinduism-stub