Masikam — The Shraddha of the First Year
Masikamమాసికం
The shraddha of the first year, from the 21st day to shortly before the anniversary. What the sixteen observances are, why most Telugu families perform them in advance, and how the tithis are fixed.
What Masikam is
Masikam is the shraddha offered for the departed during the first year after a passing — tarpanam and pindam, given on the tithi.
Tradition holds that in this first year the departed is not yet an ancestor. They are in the Preta state, in passage. The masikams sustain and ease that passage. At its end, through Sapindikaranam, they join the forebears and become a Pitru — and from then on are honoured alongside them.
This is why the first year is observed so closely, and why it is not simply repeated mourning. It is a passage being completed.
The sixteen observances
The complete sequence has sixteen. Twelve follow the monthly tithis; the other four — the una-masikas — fall a little ahead of a milestone, as the shastra prescribes.
| # | Observance | When |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Adya masikam | 21st day |
| 2nd | Una masikam | 27th day |
| 3rd | First month | 30th day — the tithi |
| 4th | Traipakshika (sardha masika) | 41st–45th day |
| 5th | Second month | 60th day |
| 6th | Third month | 90th day |
| 7th | Fourth month | 120th day |
| 8th | Fifth month | 150th day |
| 9th | Una shanmasika | 171st–175th day |
| 10th | Sixth month | 180th day |
| 11th | Seventh month | 210th day |
| 12th | Eighth month | 240th day |
| 13th | Ninth month | 270th day |
| 14th | Tenth month | 300th day |
| 15th | Eleventh month | 330th day |
| 16th | Unabdika | 346th–350th day |
Enumerations differ between sampradayams and between families. Treat this as the common shape of it, not a rule — your purohit will confirm which apply to you.
Monthly, or all at once?
Families are often told two different things here, and conclude one of them must be wrong. Both are followed, and both are correct.
Performed in advance — the common Andhra practice
In much of Andhra the fifteen masikas and una-masikas are drawn forward and performed together as aama shraddham — an offering of uncooked rice and provisions — on the 11th day, immediately after Adya masikam. Sapindikaranam follows on the 12th day, and the first-year sequence is complete within a fortnight.
The reason is a sober one. If the karta does not survive the year, the sequence would be left unfinished and the departed would remain in the Preta state, unreleased. Performing the rites in advance removes that risk.
Month by month
Other families keep each masikam on its own tithi across the year. Where the household can gather and the karta is in good health, this is followed as it is described in the shastra.
If your family performed everything within twelve days and you have since been told masikam is monthly — you have not missed anything. That is the prevailing practice in Andhra and it is complete. Equally, if you are observing month by month, that is the older sequence and nothing about it is excessive.
After Sapindikaranam
Sapindikaranam changes the form of every shraddha that follows. Before it, offerings are ekoddishta — directed to the one departed alone. After it, they are parvana, offered to three generations together: father, grandfather and great-grandfather, or mother, grandmother and great-grandmother.
This is the point at which the departed stops being mourned and starts being remembered with the ancestors. The rites that follow — Samvatsarikam at the completion of the year, and Taddinam every year after — are made in that form.
Working out the tithis
Every one of these dates is lunar, and none of them lands where a family expects. This is the single most common difficulty in the first year, and it arrives at the worst possible time.
Give us the date and time of the passing and we will work the sequence out from the panchangam and tell you the dates — at no charge, whether or not you book anything with us. If you would rather not track them, we will keep them and tell you before each falls.
Verified Telugu purohits, correct paddhati, and the complete samagri brought to you — black sesame, darbha, pinda rice and the rest — at your home or a sacred place across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Tell us the date of the passing and we will confirm the tithis first.
Arrange MasikamSee the procedureQuestions families ask
What is Masikam?
Masikam is the shraddha performed for the departed during the first year, offering tarpanam and pindam on the tithi of the passing. In full there are sixteen such observances, ending with Unabdika shortly before the first anniversary.
How many masikams are there?
Sixteen in the complete sequence: twelve tied to the monthly tithis, plus Adya masikam on the 21st day, Una masikam on the 27th, Traipakshika around the 45th day and Una shanmasika around the 171st, with Unabdika closing the sequence. Family practice varies, and your purohit will confirm which apply.
Do we perform one every month, or all at once?
Both are done, and both are correct. In much of Andhra the fifteen masikas and una-masikas are drawn forward and performed as aama shraddham on the 11th day, with Sapindikaranam on the 12th. Other families keep the observance month by month across the year. Follow what your family and purohit follow — neither is a lapse.
Why are they performed in advance?
The reason given is practical rather than doctrinal. If the karta — the one performing the rites — does not survive the full year, the sequence would be left incomplete and the jiva would not pass from the Preta state to the Pitru state. Performing them in advance ensures the passage is completed regardless.
What is Sapindikaranam?
The rite that joins the departed to the ancestors, ending the Preta state and making them a Pitru. In prevailing Andhra practice it is performed on the 12th day. It is the turning point of the whole first year: after it, shraddha is offered as parvana — to three generations together — rather than to the one departed alone.
Who performs Masikam?
Ordinarily the son, as karta. Where there is no son, or he is unable, daughters and other close relatives perform these rites in many families. If your situation is not straightforward, say so — it is a common question and there is nearly always a way.
What if we missed a masikam?
It is performed when you are able, with a short prayaschitta sankalpa first. Grief, travel and illness interrupt these things constantly. Nothing is undone by a delay.
Does Karishye fix the tithi?
Yes. We work the tithi out from the panchangam at no charge, whether or not you book anything, and can tell you before each observance falls.
What happens after the first year?
The annual observance begins: Samvatsarikam at the completion of the year, and thereafter Taddinam each year on the same tithi, for as long as the family continues.
Read further
Masikam is performed every month on the same tithi through the first year. We can arrange the whole sequence rather than one at a time.
See ancestral rite options