Akshayavat
Sacred tree · the tree itself; associated with Sita · Gaya, Bihar
It is where the final, concluding pinda of the Gaya Shraddha is offered, making it the last stop of the...
An ancient tree standing within / immediately beside the Vishnupad complex on the Falgu bank. Sources disagree on species: Wikipedia calls it a banyan, the Gaya district administration calls it a sacred peepal. Tradition holds Sita blessed it to be immortal and never to shed its leaves in any season.
Plan your visit
- Area
- Gaya
- Status
- Coming Soon
Festivals
- Pitrapaksha (Pitru Paksha) Mela, September-October
Yatras that include Akshayavat
- Gaya Ji and the Rite for Ancestors: The undying banyan, where the final offering is made and the rite is closed.
Experiences here
- Pind daan at Gaya: The rite for the dead that brings families to Gaya from everywhere
- Pitrapaksh Mela: A fortnight when the whole of Gaya belongs to the dead
Tirtham can arrange here
Guide, car and stay around Gaya
Also around Gaya
- Litti chokha: The dish people mean when they say Bihari food.
- Sattu sharbat in summer: What Bihar drinks against the heat: roasted gram, water, lemon and salt, sold from carts on every corner.
- Tilkut on Ramna Road: Gaya's winter sweet, pounded from sesame and jaggery by hand for about 150 years, and eaten at Makar Sankranti.
- Anarsa of Gaya: The rice-and-sesame sweet Bihar Tourism places at Gaya.
- The stone carvers of Patharkatti: A village of stone carvers descended from the Gaur craftsmen Ahilyabai Holkar brought from Rajasthan to build the Vishnupad temple; GI-registered in June 2026.
- Pitrapaksh Mela: The fortnight when families from all over India come to Gaya to offer pind to their ancestors.
Nearby places
- Vishnupad Temple, Gaya: Lord Vishnu's footprint, and the great seat of pind daan
- Sita Kund: Pilgrims come because Sita is held to have performed Pind Daan here for her father-in-law Dashratha...
- Ramshila Hill: Rama is believed to have offered pinda on this hill, so mourners offer pindas here during Pitrapaksh
- Pretshila Hill: Devotees bathe in Brahma Kund and then perform pinda-daan on the hill for ancestors believed to be...
- Brahmayoni Hill: Hindus climb it in large numbers during Pitripaksha to offer at the hill and squeeze through the...
- Mangla Gauri Temple: It is counted among the eighteen Maha Shakti Peethas, the spot where Sati's breast fell, and newlyweds...
- Phalgu River ghats, Gaya: Tarpan and the riverbed pinda offerings of the Gaya Shraddha are made on these ghats
- Gurdwara Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji, Gaya: Sikhs visit because both Gurus stopped here and taught that a person's own good deeds, not their...
Questions pilgrims ask
Why is Akshayavat important?
An ancient tree standing within / immediately beside the Vishnupad complex on the Falgu bank. Sources disagree on species: Wikipedia calls it a banyan, the Gaya district administration calls it a sacred peepal. Tradition holds Sita blessed it to be immortal and never to shed its leaves in any season.
Which festivals are celebrated at Akshayavat?
Pitrapaksha (Pitru Paksha) Mela, September-October.
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