Terahvi invitation card (तेरहवीं / प्रार्थना सभा कार्ड)
Terahvi is the gathering on the thirteenth day after a death in many North Indian Hindu families. The invitation has one job: tell people where to be, when, and whether a meal follows.
Designs that suit a terahvi invitation card
Counting the thirteenth day
Families usually count the day of death as day one, which puts Terahvi twelve days after that date. If the death happened late at night, or the family follows a tithi calendar, the pandit may shift it by a day. Use the free ritual date calculator on this site to get the working dates, then confirm with your pandit before printing.
Details people forget to put on the card
- Whether the Brahmin bhoj or community meal is at the same venue and time
- A landmark or Google Maps link in the message that accompanies the card, since card text cannot be tapped
- Start and end time of the prayer, so working relatives can plan to drop in
- Dress expectation if the family wants white or light colours
- A parking or entry note for halls on busy roads
Other names for the same gathering
Depending on region and community you will see Uthala or Uthaoni (a prayer sitting on the third or fourth day), Chautha, Shok Sabha, Prarthana Sabha, Besanu in Gujarat, Tervi in parts of Rajasthan and Haryana. The card type 'Terahvi / Prayer meeting' covers all of them; you just change the date and venue.