Grihapravesh Pooja might be something that you would have heard about, attended or performed if you have ever purchased or bought a House. Some people perform this ritual even before moving into a rented house. For some of the non-religious ones, this is something that they would have grinned and sat through the smoke because their parents were religious and insisted that this needed to be done. But have you ever wondered what the significance of this function is? Through this blog post we aim to shed some light on the original meaning and the reasons and significance of the various rituals.

Grihapravesh is a ritual followed by all Hindus. Griha Pravesh literally means entering the house. Usually an auspicious time is picked when the new owners/ tenants and their family members enter the new house. This ritual is believed to drive away any ill effects of negative influence from planets or evil forces.

There are some important pujas or Homas conducted on that day. In a newly built house, the first entry is auspicious when the sun is in the uttarayan position; in old, renovated houses, when Guru (Jupiter) or Shukra (Venus) is setting (the tara or star does not matter in this case).

As per Vaastu a house in considered complete only when roof and doors are installed, so Grihapravesh should be done only after it. The original intent of performing a Grihapravesh was to ward off any evil that might befall the family on moving into the new home.

These homas done during Grihapravesha have a specific meaning. They are intended to drive away the bad omens caused from three types of Doshas (sins).

• Digging the earth because of which many worms may have died.
• Cutting of wood – Nature is getting affected. As trees are also living beings the cutting of trees to clear out the area or for use during construction is said to have negative effects on the house.
• Breaking of stones – It is believed that evil spirits might have resided in the stones.

The above doshas tend to be associated with new properties or houses. In case of rented flats or house or it is believed that a place which remains empty for long time is occupied by evil spirits, so we must perform Griha Pravesham to restore the positive energy and peacefulness at house.

The Pooja’s that are performed during these functions include* Gho Pooja, Ganapathi Pooja, Punyaha Pooja, Kalasa Pooja, Vaastu Shanthi, Navagraha Homam and Lakshmi Kubera Homam*. Typically the Nakshatra of the Wife/ Female Family head who is going to live in the house is considered before fixing the date.

Griha Pravesham is inevitable ceremony as it drives away the doshams or ill-effects already existing in the house. Such doshams are said to bring numerous problems to the family and the above rituals are used to ward off the negative energy which can bring trouble and miseries to the dwellers. Therefore, living in a house should be considered only after all rituals are complete as per the procedure given in the scriptures. It creates a sense of well-being with the effect of the vibrations from the mantras and wipes out any trace of negative energies.

Whilst there is some rational logic such as killing of trees/ worms which one must acknowledge; even if you don’t believe in the rituals – look at the ceremony as an occasion to invite your friends and family to your new abode and start your stay in your new home with their blessings and good wishes.