Manvadi tithi of Uttama Manu on Kartika Purnima; a sacred day for Shraddha and charity

Uttama Manvadi is one of the fourteen Manvadi tithis, each marking the start of a Manvantara, the era ruled by one of the fourteen Manus in a kalpa (a day of Brahma). Uttama, the third Manu, was a son of King Priyavrata and a grandson of Swayambhuva Manu; in his era, according to the Bhagavata Purana, Vishnu appeared as Satyasena, son of Dharma and Sunrita, to destroy wicked Yakshas and Rakshasas. We now live in the seventh Manvantara, that of Vaivasvata Manu. The Manvadi tithis are held to be especially holy for Shraddha: the Matsya Purana and other texts say that offerings to the ancestors on these days satisfy them for thousands of years, and bathing, fasting, charity and worship are also highly meritorious. Since this Manvadi falls on Kartika Purnima, the holiest full moon of the year, its Shraddha and tarpan combine with the Kartik snan, deepdaan and charity of the day, making it an especially good time to remember and honour one's ancestors.

Those offering Shraddha eat once after the rites.