Narayan Bali Puja: Meaning, Vidhi, Places and Who Can Perform It

Last updated: September 2026 · By the Divine Hindu Team, Jayanagar 3rd Block East, Bengaluru 560011 · ~12 min read

What is Narayan Bali?

Narayan Bali (also written Narayana Bali, or Moksha Narayana Bali in the South) is a rite for a family member whose death was untimely or unnatural, or whose last rites could not be completed. "Narayana" is Lord Vishnu. "Bali" here means an offering. It does not mean a sacrifice.

The rite belongs to the Garuda Purana tradition, the Purana that deals most fully with death and the rites that follow it. Summaries of its fortieth chapter list the kinds of death the rite is meant for. They include starvation, attack by an animal, accident, fire, drowning, a fall from a height, snakebite, lightning, murder, suicide, and epidemics or other sudden illness.

The same text says that for such deaths the usual cremation rites, tarpan and shraddha do not apply in the ordinary way. Narayan Bali is the rite prescribed instead, and it is done first.

In simple terms, Narayan Bali gives the departed a symbolic funeral, with Lord Vishnu as witness. In many traditions a symbolic body is made of wheat dough, and the last rites are performed for it. Offerings then go to Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, Yama (the lord of death) and the departed soul. The rite ends with shraddha, homa and pinda offerings. A pinda is a ball of cooked rice or flour offered to the departed. Tradition holds that this lets the soul move on and take its place among the pitrs, the ancestors.

When do families traditionally perform Narayan Bali?

Families traditionally perform Narayan Bali:

• when a family member died an untimely or unnatural death, as listed above;
• when the last rites could not be done properly, or could not be done at all;
• when an astrologer links pitru dosha (an ancestral affliction in the kundli) to such a death in the family. Our guide to pitra dosh remedies explains the term;
• before starting regular shraddha for that person, since many pandits advise that Narayan Bali should come first.

Many families do it years after the loss. There is no fault in having waited. It is a rite of duty and love, done when the family is ready.

Which day?

The tithi (lunar day) matters. Guidance published by Sanatan Sanstha names Shukla Paksha Ekadashi and Dwadashi, the 11th and 12th days of the bright fortnight, as ideal. At Srirangapatna, our pandit usually chooses Amavasya, Dwadashi or another day he advises from the panchang.

During Pitru Paksha, the Chaturdashi tithi, known as Ghata Chaturdashi, is kept for those who died untimely deaths. In India in 2026 it falls on Friday 9 October: per Drik Panchang's tithi times, Chaturdashi runs from about 10:15 PM IST on 8 October to about 9:35 PM IST on 9 October. Confirm with your local panchang. Our Pitru Paksha 2026 dates guide lists every tithi.

Some traditions advise against holding the rite within a year of a wedding or thread ceremony in the family. If there has been a recent family event, ask your pandit about timing.

Narayan Bali vs Nag Bali vs Tripindi Shraddha

These three rites are often named together, and they are sometimes done on consecutive days. They serve different purposes.

"Narayan Nagbali" simply means the two rites done together, as at Trimbakeshwar over three days. Narayan Bali is for a person; Nag Bali is for a serpent. Tripindi looks back across generations rather than at one death. For the wider picture, read our guide to tarpan, shraddha, Tripindi and Narayan Bali. If a serpent-related rite is what you need, our Ashlesha Bali guide covers the Naga rites.

Narayan Bali vidhi: what happens over two or three days

Vidhi means the ritual procedure. It differs by region and by pandit family. Below is the broad shape, drawn from the Garuda Purana tradition as published by Sanatan Sanstha and from Trimbakeshwar practice.

Before the rite

The karta, the family member offering the rite, bathes at the tirtha (sacred river or tank). He or she wears new clothes, such as a dhoti and upper cloth for men or a saree for women. The family keeps to simple vegetarian food.

Day 1: sankalp, the deities and the first pindas

• Sankalp: the karta states the purpose, naming himself or herself, the gotra and the departed.
• Kalashas and deities: images of Vishnu and Yama are set on kalashas (sacred water pots) and worshipped. Other traditions set up five kalashas, for Brahma, Vishnu, Rudra (Shiva), Yama and the departed.
• The first pindas: darbha grass is spread, and ten pindas mixed with honey, ghee and sesame are offered for the departed in the form of Vishnu. They are then placed in the river.
• The symbolic funeral: in many places, the wheat-dough body receives the last rites on this day.

Day 2: shraddha, homa and the five pindas

• Vishnu is worshipped at midday.
• An ekoddishta shraddha, a shraddha for one person, is performed, with Brahmins invited in odd numbers.
• Four pindas are offered to Vishnu, Brahma, Shiva and Yama. A fifth goes to the departed, in the form of Vishnu.
• A homa (fire offering) is performed, and daan (gifts) and dakshina are given.
• Tilanjali, water with sesame, darbha and tulsi, is offered for the departed.

Day 3: where Nag Bali is added

At Trimbakeshwar, Narayan Nagbali takes three days. Narayan Bali comes on the first day and Nag Bali on the second. The third day is kept for Ganesh puja, punyahavachan (purification) and Nag puja.

At Srirangapatna

Our pandit's two-day vidhi on the Kaveri includes the sankalp with your name, gotra and the name of the departed; kalasha aradhana invoking Brahma, Vishnu, Rudra and Yama; the Narayana Bali shraddha and homa; and pinda pradana in the Kaveri. Where the final rites were incomplete, pretha samskara (the rite for the recently departed) is included.

After Narayan Bali, the family can include the departed in regular shraddha and tarpan, as the pandit advises. That includes Mahalaya Amavasya; see our Mahalaya Amavasya 2026 guide.

Where Narayan Bali is traditionally performed

Tradition values a tirtha, but the heart of the rite is the sankalp and the vidhi. These four places are the best known.

• Trimbakeshwar, Maharashtra. A jyotirlinga temple town in Nashik district, near the source of the Godavari. It is best known for Narayan Nagbali, along with Kaal Sarp shanti and Tripindi vidhi.
• Gaya, Bihar. The foremost place for pind daan, at the Vishnupad temple and the Falgu river. Gaya's pandits also perform Narayan Bali. See our Gaya pind daan page.
• Kashi (Varanasi), Uttar Pradesh. Pishach Mochan Kund is associated with rites for souls who died untimely deaths. It is a well-known place for Tripindi shraddha and pind daan.
• Srirangapatna, Karnataka. An island town on the Kaveri in Mandya district, home to the Sri Ranganathaswamy temple. Its river banks are well known in the South for shraddha rites such as Narayana Bali, Tripindi and tila homa. Read about the Paschima Vahini ghat and the Srirangapatna Sangam.

Divine Hindu is independent and is not connected with any of these temples or their boards. Our Srirangapatna pujas are performed by our own pandit on the Kaveri banks, not inside the temple.

Who can perform Narayan Bali?

The karta is the family member in whose name the rite is offered. Customs differ between regions and pandit families, so your pandit's advice decides. Broadly:

• Traditionally, a son, grandson or other male descendant acts as karta. Where there is none, many families have a brother, nephew, daughter or spouse perform it, according to local custom.
• Parents need not have passed away. Sanatan Sanstha's guidance says the rite can be performed even by someone whose parents are alive.
• Married or unmarried. An unmarried person may perform it alone. A married karta traditionally performs it together with his or her spouse.
• Pregnancy. The same guidance says a woman more than five months pregnant should not perform it.

When the rite is done on your behalf, the sankalp names you as karta, with your gotra. If you do not know your gotra, "Kashyap" is traditionally used.

What the family does during and after the rite

• If you attend in person: follow the pandit, keep to simple vegetarian food, and wear the new clothes set aside for the rite. Some traditions give these clothes away afterwards.
• If it is done on your behalf: keep the day quiet. Eat simple vegetarian food, light a lamp at home, and spend a few minutes remembering the person. Many families chant Vishnu's name. Watch the video of the rite together when it arrives.
• Daan: tradition asks for gifts according to your capacity, not beyond it.
• Afterwards: remember the departed in the annual shraddha and in Pitru Paksha, as other ancestors are remembered.

Narayan Bali puja cost: what affects it

We do not quote prices in articles, because they change. What you pay for Narayan Bali anywhere depends on:

• the place: Trimbakeshwar, Gaya, Kashi, Srirangapatna or elsewhere;
• the length: two days or three, and whether Nag Bali or Tripindi is added;
• the number of pandits: some traditions have five Brahmins reciting five suktas (hymns) together;
• the samagri: ritual materials, including small metal images of the deities and, with Nag Bali, a small gold serpent image;
• daan and Brahmin bhojan (feeding Brahmins);
• travel and stay, if the family attends in person.

For our pujas, the current price is shown on each booking page: Moksha Narayana Bali at Srirangapatna and Narayan Bali with Nag Bali in Gaya or Varanasi.

How to have Narayan Bali done privately, on your behalf

Moksha Narayana Bali at Srirangapatna (2 days)

• Private: our pandit performs it only for your family. The sankalp includes the name of the departed, your name as karta and your gotra.
• Where: on the Kaveri at Srirangapatna, at the Sangama, the Paschima Vahini ghat or Gosai Ghat, as the vidhi and the day require.
• Before the rite: our team calls you on WhatsApp to confirm the details of the departed, confirms the date and shares the muhurat fixed by the pandit.
• Video: the videos of both days reach you on WhatsApp within 3 to 4 days.
• Prasad: none is sent for the Srirangapatna pujas.
• Booking closes: 4 PM IST, 7 days before the puja date, so the two-day rite can be arranged.

Narayan Bali with Nag Bali in Gaya or Varanasi (Pitru Paksha 2026)

During Pitru Paksha 2026, which ends on Saturday 10 October, our pandit teams in Gaya and Varanasi also perform Narayan Bali and Nag Bali together in one day, with your sankalp. Ghata Chaturdashi, Friday 9 October, is the preferred day for untimely deaths. See the booking page for dates and the cut-off.

If Tripindi is also advised

If your pandit also advises Tripindi, you can book Tripindi Shraddha at Srirangapatna, or Tripindi at Pishach Mochan Kund in Kashi. All our Kaveri pujas are listed under Srirangapatna pujas.

A closing word

Losing someone suddenly leaves a family with questions that no ritual fully answers. Narayan Bali is the tradition's way of completing what could not be completed at the time. Whether you travel to a tirtha or have it done on your behalf, what matters is the sankalp, the vidhi and the love with which it is offered.

Related reading: Tarpan, shraddha, Tripindi and Narayan Bali: the difference · Pitra dosh remedies · Mahalaya Amavasya 2026 · Pitru Paksha 2026 dates · Paschima Vahini, Srirangapatna · All Srirangapatna pujas

This guide is for educational and devotional purposes and reflects traditional practice. Confirm exact muhurat timings with your local panchang.