At Ubhádánda in the Vengurla taluka of the Ratnágiri District ancestors are worshipped every year on the same date of the month (according to the Hindu calendar year) on which the person died, by performing a Shráddha rite. They are also worshipped on the same date in the second half of Bhádrapada (September) every year. This is by a rite called Mahálaya Shráddha. On both these occasions Bráhmans are invited, and the worshipping ceremony is performed by repeating the mantras. After the ceremony, all the invited guests men and women partake of food. Sádhus are worshipped after washing their feet with sandal paste, flowers, cocoanuts and gifts of money. It is believed that evil spirits undergo a transformation after a lapse of twelve years. The practice of giving the names of ancestors to children is common, and it is due to the belief that the spirits of the dead are reborn in children in the same family. [411] At Pendur in the Ratnágiri District the ancestors are worshipped on the last day of every Hindu calendar month. This monthly worship is called Darsha Shráddha. The annual anniversary of the manes is celebrated by the ceremony called the Sámvatsarik Shráddha. If any ancestor has died after becoming a recluse or Sanyási, his body is buried, and a tomb called a samádhi is erected over it; and his descendants, instead of performing the annual Shráddha, worship the tomb of the recluse every day. It is believed that the spirits take a different form after the lapse of seven generations. The belief that the spirits of the dead are reborn in the same family prevails among the people of this district. The following measures are adopted for the purpose of identification. When a person dies in a family, a basil or bel leaf is placed on a certain part of the body, or some familiar sign is made in sandal paste; and when a child is born in the family, its body is carefully examined to ascertain whether there are any signs on the body of the child such as were made on the dead body of the ancestor. If the same sign appears to the satisfaction of the members of the family, it is believed that the dead person has been reborn in the same family. [412] At Navare in the Ratnágiri District Bráhmans are invited, worshipped and given a feast in honour of ancestors. Sádhus and Mahants, or saints, are worshipped by giving them the same honour accorded to the family deities. [413] At Basani in the Ratnágiri District the anniversary day of saints is observed by the performance of a Bhajan, which consists in singing the good deeds of saints and in offering prayers. It is believed that spirits are mortal, but they do not die like ordinary human beings. They cease to exist as spirits as soon as the period of their release is over. The spirits obtain absolution by visiting certain holy places. [414]