The Process
From a short free assessment to a delivered family archive.
Begin with a short free assessment so we can identify the pilgrimage centre most likely to hold your family's records. Once your case is confirmed as suitable for our current service, you choose your package and pay in full. Your secure dashboard is then created so you can complete the detailed family information at your own pace.
Step by step
- Free centre assessment. You complete a short free form with your name, contact details, family surname and any clues about the ancestral village, district, state, community or previous priest. You can upload supporting evidence (priest cards, receipts, old register photographs, family notes). No payment is taken at this stage.
- Centre identification. We assess which pilgrimage centre is most likely to hold your family register. Results may be: Haridwar likely or confirmed, another centre likely, multiple centres possible, insufficient information, manual review required, or currently unsupported. If your case falls outside our currently active research network, we record your interest and do not take payment.
- Confirmation of suitability. Once your case is confirmed as suitable for a currently supported search, you are invited to choose a package.
- Account and full payment. You create or sign into your account and pay the full package fee. Full payment allows the research, local travel and priest-access process to begin once your detailed case information is ready.
- Paid case dashboard. A paid case is created in your dashboard. You can complete the detailed family information at your own pace — save and continue, save for later, return whenever you are ready.
- Detailed family questionnaire. You provide names, places, lineage, community and any other information that helps identify the correct hereditary priest and register. You can record pronunciation audio beside relevant fields and upload supporting documents.
- Submission and assignment. When the required information is complete you submit your case for review. An admin reviews it and assigns a local field researcher at the relevant pilgrimage centre.
- Local research. The researcher searches for the correct hereditary priest and family register, using your audio recordings to confirm pronunciation of names and places.
- Evidence, transcription, translation. Photographs (where the priest permits), transcription, English translation, family tree and a final family-history report are prepared and reviewed.
- Secure delivery. Your completed family archive and report are delivered to your secure account.
- If no register is located. After an unsuccessful agreed search, an admin reviews the evidence and approves the refund. We retain £150 for the completed research and refund the remaining package amount, along with a documented unsuccessful-search report.
What your package covers
Your package includes the standard local researcher work, reasonable local travel, the customary payment made to the record-holding priest for their time, knowledge and assistance, evidence collection, transcription, translation and your secure digital family archive. This is normal practice — the same arrangement families make when they visit India and engage a priest directly.
If your case requires unusually extensive travel, work at multiple pilgrimage centres, several unrelated family branches, specialist translation or anything beyond the standard package scope, we will explain the options and obtain your approval before any additional charge. Bahi Heritage does not own or employ the hereditary priests — payments are made for their time and assistance.
Begin with the free assessment
The free centre assessment takes a few minutes and never asks for payment. It is the first step for every customer.