Traditional rites in India, arranged without the journey
After a death, many families would traditionally travel to India so the family record could be continued and the appropriate rites performed. Distance shouldn't mean leaving that unfinished. We help identify or reconnect with the priest responsible for your family's Bahi and, where traditional rites are requested, coordinate an appropriate priest to perform them. These may be the same person, and they may be two different people — it depends on your family's tradition and the practice of the priest concerned.
The rites are the priest's decision, not ours
The appropriate rites may include Sankalp, Pind Daan and other prayers or ceremonies advised by the priest. Which of them apply — and how they are performed — is decided by the priest according to your family's tradition and region. We do not publish a fixed list of guaranteed ceremonies.
Sankalp
The formal statement of intention made on the family's behalf, naming the person for whom the rites are being performed and the family making the offering.
Pind Daan
Offerings made for the departed, at the place and in the manner the priest considers appropriate for your family's tradition and region.
Other prayers or ceremonies advised by the priest
Practices vary by community, region and family. The priest decides what is appropriate — we do not prescribe rites, we do not publish a fixed list of guaranteed ceremonies, and we never substitute our judgement for his.
One managed service — £595
- Everything in the Family Bahi Update
- Explaining your family's situation and the bereavement to the priest
- Establishing which rites the priest considers appropriate for your family
- Coordinating an appropriate priest to perform them — this may be the same priest who holds your family's Bahi, or a different one
- Arranging the rites advised, at the place the priest considers correct
- The normal priest, dakshina and ritual-material arrangements required for the rites agreed as part of your case
- Local researcher or representative attendance where it is required
- A written account of what was performed, and any confirmation the priest permits
The £595 service includes coordination of the appropriate traditional rites and the normal priest, dakshina and ritual-material arrangements required for the rites agreed as part of your case.
If a priest recommends something outside the normal agreed service, we will explain it to you before any additional cost is incurred. We do not promise unlimited or special ceremonies.
What the price includes
- •The traditional offering and payment made to the priest or register-holding family
- •Coordination and communication with the priest on your family's behalf
- •The fees of our researchers or local representatives where a visit or local assistance is required
- •Translation of anything shared with us as part of your case
- •Delivery of any supporting material the custodian permits, through your secure account
There are no separate charges for the priest, our researchers, coordination or translation. Supporting material is included where it is permitted and provided by the traditional record custodian, and availability varies from case to case.
What we can and cannot promise
Indian Archive coordinates; the priest decides. The priest responsible for your family's Bahi is its custodian, and the priest performing the rites is the authority on religious practice. We cannot guarantee that a particular entry will be made, that a particular rite will be performed, or that photographs, video or copies of register pages will be provided — those are shared only when the priest or record holder permits it. What your family always receives is a written account of the route followed, who was contacted, what was asked for and what happened.
Every family priest has his own practice. Some accept a remote Bahi update as complete. Some enter the update and leave space for a family signature on a future visit. Others require an in-person step, and a few do not accept a remote update at all. We tell you clearly which applies to your family.
This is a private family tradition. It is not government registration, and it is not a compulsory religious act.