Pinda (riceball)

Pinda (Sanskrit: पिण्ड, piṇḍa) are balls of cooked rice mixed with ghee and black sesame seeds offered to ancestors during Hindu funeral rites (antyesti) and ancestor worship (Śrāddha). According to the Garuda Purana, offering a pinda to a recently departed individual helps unite their soul with their ancestors. The ritual act of donating pindas is called the pinda dana.