Griha Pravesh: House Warming Ceremony of your New Home

I enter this home with a Kumbha, Fill it with ambrosia and anoint, All those who drink of this heavenly water, And protect this home enter this house to dwell in it.   Atharva Veda…

   In our vedic tradition, Hindus convert a new house into a home by performing House Warming Ceremony often known as Griha Pravesh or Griha Pravesham as is called in South India.

   Griha Pravesh is a very important part of Hindu culture and it's usually done in the most auspicious manner by consulting with the astrologer to look for a better date and time to perform House Warming Ceremony known as Muhurat.

   As Hindus firmly believe to lead their family in peace and harmony to prevail forever, it is essential that the home they live in should possess all basic requirements to fill happiness, peace, grace and fortune.

   The Griha Pravesh Ceremony is basically a fire ritual spun with gratitude, in the Vastu Shastra certain basic practise are to be followed while constructing a new house by which the Home itself becomes a temple, in short we call a Home a ‘Human Temple’.

   It is not only a mere shelter for human beings to rest and eat, the concept behind house design is the same as for Temple design. Vastu Shastra says all spaces and directions in the home has an energy which is unseen it’s very necessary that the spaces should be free from all negative energy to allow a free flow and passage of positive energy in to your home.

   The Mantra of Griha Pravesh is derived from the Matsya Purana, written down more than 7000 years back, it is however very necessary that Griha Nathan (owner of the home) not stay in the home without performing Griha Pravesh.

   Important ceremony of all is the Vastu Pooja, Ganapathy Homam, Milk Boiling Ritual, Coconut Breaking Ritual, Sprinkling of Kalash Kumbham water or Ganga Jalam in the house. Milk over boiling ritual is mandatory on the day of Griha Pravesh which is performed after Vastu Pooja and Ganapathy Homam.

   Milk over boiling ceremony is performed by female member of the house as milk signifies Purity, as mil will split if there is any pollution. The boiling over of milk is done so that prosperity, wealth and abundance prevail in your home.

   Coconut breaking is done soon after milk over boiling and your new house become a home for you to live in. The Milk is first offered to God, which is sweetened with jiggery or sugar and is distributed among relatives as offerings or Prasad.

    Coconut is very necessary for any type of Hindu Fire rituals, it’s one of the main Fruits of Hindu Culture, breaking Coconut is considered very auspicious as it’s a form of bloodless sacrifice, it has to be done with a proper intention, it is a common belief that if a person breaks a coconut with a wish, then that wish will come true. Hence we see a stone in front of Ganesh Temple where one must throw the coconut to break it. If the coconut splits into two, your wish will surely succeed hence coconut breaking must be done with and intention.

   In Hindu Tradition there was no Animal Sacrifice.

Ganapathy Homam is performed a good one and a half hour before sunrise and is necessary that it should get over before Sunrise which is basically a Kerala Tradition however in some regions Ganapathy Homam is done well after sunrise.

  Fine smoke emitting out from Ganapathy Homam by burning Wood, Cow dung, Ghee, camphor and other items spreads all over your home and your home gets purified by the smoke of the holy fire, it’s very necessary that the owner of the house along with his family members must stay overnight on the day of Griha Pravesh the house must not be dark or locked, the windows and doors of all rooms baring bathroom must be open so that all negative energies in your house shall be dispelled out and your room will be filled with all positive vibrations by the holy fire of Ganapathy Homam.

   The Ganapathy Homam is performed to prevent negative influences of planets and ward away evil eyes and negative vibrations, since Lord Ganesha is the Son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati, the is known to be the remover of all obstacles hence the Ganapathy Homam is performed during the Griha Pravesh Ceremony. A Couch Shell can be blown after the Ganapathy Homam which is very good as the sound from the couch shell creates a scalar wave that can travel faster than the speed of light.

   After Ganapathy Homam, the family members can make a proper entry into the house. The lady of the house carries a Kalasha Kumbahm or Pot and she and her family members places her right leg first inside the house from the doorway.

   The Rig Veda has mentioned about the Kalasha:

   The kalasha is made of Copper metal. It is filled with living Ganges water, the side of the pot is marked with Swastika symbol on it using turmeric. A whole unhusked betel nut is put inside the water, 5 mango leaves are places on the mouth of the pot with the point of the leaves facing upwards and a red sindoor dot is marked on each mango leaf.

   On the mouth of the pot an unhusked Coconut is placed that binds the mango leaves. The Betel nut has the capability to reduce and convert copper ions to copper nano particles which gives a pleasant aroma to the water. The betel nut is male and the mango leaf is female.

   The leafs of Mango tree are used to ward off evil spirits, Bunches of Mango leafs has the capability of absorbing negative energy from the anyone entering your home, which is why mango leaves are hung at the door steps during the day of Griha Pravesh. Mango leaf is also the symbol of fertility and is associated with the god of Love Kama Deva.

 This water in the Kalasha Pot is sprinkled in all rooms of your Home.

   A Kalasha has a deep meaning, Our Rishis and Maharishi’s were not stupid or mere dreamers in Ganja Hallucinations, rather they were men of incredible intellect and had a great vision.

   The only possession that a Maharishi has was a saffron Robe, a wooden stick shaped in ‘Y’ rudraksha beads and a Copper Lota (Pot), this lota either contained living water from River Saraswati or the Ganges. The Maharishis resonated the cosmos with their 12 strand DNA and a king sized Pineal Gland.

   Water is the very source of all life, the molecules of water are affected by our thoughts and emotions, human vibrational energy, ideas and music also affect the molecular structure of water, a small amount of water can hold a set of information and is particularly sensitive to the vibrations and frequencies coming around it. Water remembers the information and stores it and passes it to the surrounding areas when it travels through various water cycles.

   Water responds to subtle events which is far away and out into the cosmos and water is the most sensitive medium of reception. We know very well that the Sun and the Moon communicate with Water and our earth itself resonate along with the frequency of water, Living water is and organised sate of matter and energy capable of storing and transmitting information.

   Water can retain its information even after it goes through an infinite process of filtration and distillation, the memory is stored in clusters of H2O molecules.

    Water, sanctified by chanting mantra or by bathing an Idol is known as teertham, Kalasha is an expression of time, and it’s the womb and within its security safety and nourishing space there is abundance and prosperity.  

   Mango is the king of fruits. Mango leaves have inherent water and provide good cooling from the sun rays.   Hindu homes hand mango leaves on the entrance door as a protective barrier against bad ethereal auras. On the day of Griha Pravesh banana trees are attached to poles at the compound gate, from where guests enter the premises.  This has also the effect of neutralizing evil auras. On the day of Griha Pravesh all meals are served of banana leaf. After the Homam, the smoke is cleared and before the milk is boiled.

    A Vedic humped cow is brought into the house and taken to all rooms.  If this is NOT possible then just keep it at the entrance.  If the cow takes a crap, it is considered auspicious.

    A western humpless cow gives toxic A1 milk and this ghee cannot be used in Agnihotra rituals. All gods reside in the 'Cow' as per our scriptures. The cow is fed with some fruits. Turmeric and kumkum ( sindhoor ) is applied on the cow. The inmates touch the cow with a small prayer in their hearts.

   The house must be scrupulously clean before the griha pravesh ceremony. Following the house-warming, the family should occupy the property right away, as it is inauspicious to leave the property empty again after these rituals have been conducted.

   Griha Pravesh should not be done when the wife (main lady of the house) is more than 6 months pregnant or on her periods.

Above is Ganapathy Homam performed for my new home on 5th April 2015. Peace & Grace,


Jayan Divakaran.