Hindu House Warming Ceremony(Griha Pravesh)

Griha Pravesh is a ceremony performed on the occasion of one's first entry into a new house. Once the house is ready, the family moves in on an auspicious day that is determined by the astrological charts. Purity of panchang (almanac) and auspicious time (muhurat) must be considered during the griha pravesh. Three types of griha pravesh have been mentioned in our ancient scriptures:

Apoorva: First entry to newly constructed house on a newly selected land is called apoorva (new) griha pravesh.

Sapoorva: Entry into an already existing house after travelling abroad or migration elsewhere is called sapoorva griha pravesh.

Dwandwah: Entry into a house to after reconstruction or renovation subsequent to damage due to fire, flood or earthquake, is termed as dwandwah (old) griha pravesh.

For apoorva griha pravesh, the exact auspicious time need to be adhered to. For sapoorva griha pravesh or dwandwah griha pravesh, the purity of the panchang should be given due consideration.

Auspicious Times or Muhurats

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). Auspicious months for griha pravesh, that are based on the lunar calendar, and their outcome have been provided below:

MONTH	RESULTS
Auspicious
Magh (part January and part February)	Gain of wealth
Falgun (part February and part March)	Gain of children and wealth
Baishak (part April and part May)	Growth of wealth and prosperity
Jeshtha (part May and part June)	Gain of son and cattle

Fair
Kartik (part October and part November)	No significant effect
Margshirsh (part November and part December)

Inauspicious
Ashadh (part June and part July)	Could lead to losses, pains, troubles and fear of enemies
Bhadrapad (part August and part September)
Ashwin (part September and part October)
Paush (part December and part January)

Furthermore, the tithies (dates according to lunar calender) 4, 9, 14 and Amavas (no moon night) should be avoided. Griha pravesh should not be held on a Tuesday.

Ceremonies

Vastu pooja

Vastu pooja for vastu devata is performed outside the house before the actual entry into the house. A copper pot is filled with water, navadhanya (nine kinds of grains) and one rupee coin. A coconut is then placed on the top of the pot. Coconut is covered with the red cloth and tied with the red thread called moli. After this the priest performs the pooja, add the husband and wife take this copper pot in the house together and place it near the havan (ceremonial fire).

Vastu Shanti

Vastu shanti or Griha shanti, involves the havan. A havan is performed to prevent harmful influences of the planets, remove negative vibrations and create a peaceful environment. Once all the poojas are concluded, a feast is offered to the priest. He is also given some dakshina or fees for his services and good wishes.

These two poojas are essential. Other poojas like the Ganpathi pooja, the Satyanarayan pooja ot the Lakshmi pooja are optional, and can be performed if priest recommends them.

Do's and Don'ts of Griha pravesh

Griha pravesh is not complete until:

The doors of the house are fitted with shutters;

The roof is covered;

The Gods of vastu have been worshipped or offered sacrifices;

The priests have been offered feast.

House-warming ceremony should not be performed when the lady of the house is pregnant.

If the above-mentioned points are not considered when moving into a new house, they 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.

Once the griha pravesh ceremony has been completed, the family can then move into the house. The house should not be locked for a few days since that would be considered inauspicious.