Griha Pravesh Puja in Port of Spain · Tamil

Why is Griha Pravesh Puja performed?

A home is seen as a living space for the family and the deities. The puja purifies the house, removes negative influences (vastu dosha) and asks Ganesha, Lakshmi and the Navagrahas to bless the household. Traditionally it is done on an auspicious muhurat before the family starts living in the house.

Who performs it?

Hindu families across India and abroad. North Indian families often include a Satyanarayan Katha; South Indian families may perform Ganapati Homam and Vastu Shanti; boiling milk until it overflows is a common ritual everywhere.

When to perform it

Griha Pravesh is done on a shubh muhurat chosen from the panchang — typically in the months of Magha, Phalguna, Vaishakha or Jyeshtha, and avoided during Chaturmas, Kharmas and Adhik maas. Many families prefer the morning so that milk can be boiled and the first meal cooked in daylight. See our Griha Pravesh muhurat dates for the current year.

Preparing at home

Finish painting and cleaning before the day; the house should be ready to live in. Hang a toran of mango leaves at the main door, draw a rangoli, and keep the kitchen stocked with milk, rice and jaggery. Decide who will carry the kalash in — traditionally the lady of the house — and keep a new vessel aside for boiling milk.

After the puja

The family is expected to stay in the house on the night of the puja, and many keep a lamp burning in the puja room for the first few days. Feeding the pandit and guests, and giving dakshina and food to the needy, completes the ceremony.

Regional traditions

In North India a Satyanarayan Katha often follows the Griha Pravesh puja. In Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, Ganapati Homam and Vastu Shanti are common, and a cow and calf are sometimes led into the house first. Bengali families may perform Griha Lakshmi puja.

Things to avoid

Moving in luggage and sleeping in the house before the puja, entering with the left foot first, and leaving the main door locked on the first evening are traditionally avoided. Don’t forget to switch on lights in every room at dusk.