Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], September 25 (ANI): A large number of people on Sunday converged on the banks of the Hooghly River to take a holy dip and offer prayers to their ancestors on the last day of Pitru Paksha, also known as Sarvapitari Amavasya.

Rameswaram (Tamil Nadu) [India], September 25 (ANI): Lakhs of devotees on Sunday took a bath in the holy waters of Rameswaram's Agnitheertham, on the occasion of Mahalaya Paksha Amavasya, in which people commemorate their ancestors.

New Delhi [India], September 9 (ANI): Hindus will observe 'Pitru Paksha' or 'Shraadh' from September 10 this year. The 15-day period before Navratri is known as 'Pitru Paksha' or 'Shraadh', during which Hindus send food offerings as 'tarpan' (prayer) to their ancestors.

Mumbai Oct 28 PTI Indias gold demand has seen a 47 per cent year-on-year jump in the July-September quarter to 1391 tonnes following strong rebound in economic activity and recovering consumer demand the World Gold Council said in a report According to the World Gold Council WGC gold demand in India is bouncing back to pre-COVID levels and going forward the outlook looks bullish The countrys overall demand stood at 946 tonnes during the September quarter of 2020 the WGCs Q3 Gold Demand Trends 2021 report said adding that in terms of value Indias third quarter gold demand went up by 37 per cent to Rs 59330 crore compared to Rs 43160 crore a year ago This reflects a combination of low base effect and return of positive trade and consumer sentiments This is primarily driven by what appears to be a firm grip on the pandemic with higher vaccination rates and falling infection rates leading to a strong rebound in economic activity WGC Regional CEO India Somasundaram PR told PTI Going forward imports might not be very significant in the fourth quarter as little bit of stocking up for the festive season has already taken place during the third quarter of 2021 he stated Looking ahead with restrictions being gradually lifted across the country retail demand is bouncing back to pre-COVID levels With the upcoming festive and wedding season there is all the more enthusiasm towards gold demand and we anticipate it to be the busiest gold-buying season since the start of COVID said Somasundaram He further said that demand for digital gold has also increased manifold innovative tech initiatives tie-ups with digital gold and UPI platforms by leading jewellers has brought about a substantial increase in volume of buyers and investors preferring online purchases In the months ahead soaring commodity prices and logistical costs are expected to impose further pressures and the RBI has already adjusted its inflation expectations higher Rising inflation tends to drive gold demand Gold is perceived as a strong hedge against inflation and decades of data supports this assumption While we have not made any forecast for the rest of the year barring any unexpected twist in tale we could see a sharp spike in demand in the last quarter of 2021 and is likely to be one of the best quarters in a decade he added As per the report total jewellery demand in India for the quarter under review increased by 58 per cent to 962 tonnes compared to 608 tonnes during the July-September quarter of 2020 While in value jewellery demand grew by 48 per cent at Rs 41030 crore as against Rs 27750 crore a year ago Total Investment demand for the third quarter increased by 27 per cent to 429 tonnes from 338 tonnes in the same quarter of 2020 In value terms gold Investment demand in July-September went up 19 per cent to Rs 18300 crore from Rs 15410 crore a year ago according to the report Meanwhile the total gold recycled in India declined by 50 per cent to 207 tonnes in the period under review compared to 415 tonnes in the same period of last year Total net bullion imports without taxes in the third quarter surged by 187 per cent to 2556 tonnes from 89 tonnes in the same quarter of 2020 While gold jewellery and investment demand for bars and coins also grew in a quarter that tends to be seasonally subdued due to monsoons and inauspicious periods like Pitru-Paksha when buyers stay away from buying gold Softer gold prices have also generated significant consumer interest ahead of seasonal demand Somasundaram said Gold prices during the third quarter averaged at Rs 42635 per 10 grams compared to Rs 45640 in the same quarter of 2020 and Rs 43076 during the April-June 2021 he noted Trade activity witnessed during various buyer-seller meets and anecdotal feedback from manufacturers indicate that the fourth quarter festive season could be the best in several years with strong imports much ahead of the third quarter demand demand he noted He said a 50 per cent drop in gold recycling also underlines strong consumer intent to hold gold rather than sell it aided by a robust institutional market for loan against gold that continues to grow PTI SM DRR DRR

Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) [India], October 6 (ANI): Scores of devotees on Wednesday visited the banks of the holy river Ganga in Varanasi to offer prayers to their ancestors on the last day of Pitru Paksha, also known as Sarvapitari Amavasya.

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], October 6 (ANI): A large number of people on Wednesday converged on the banks of the Hooghly River in Kolkata to offer prayers to their ancestors on the last day of Pitru Paksha, also known as Sarvapitari Amavasya.

Gaya (Bihar), [India], October 3 (ANI): Gaya Municipal Corporation has been preparing organic manure from 'pind' offered by devotees during the holy period known as 'Pitru Paksha'.