Griha Pravesh
Griha Pravesh is the ceremony performed when a family enters a newly built or newly purchased home for the first time. It is considered one of the most significant rituals in a household's life after marriage, intended to purify the space, pacify Vastu Purusha (the deity of the site and structure), and formally welcome prosperity and positive energy into the home before daily life begins there.
Thoroughly clean every room beforehand, decorate the main entrance with a mango-leaf toran and rangoli, and prepare the puja area inside.
Before entry, a havan and puja are performed to honor Vastu Purusha, the presiding deity of the plot and structure, asking for the household's peaceful residence there.
As with most rituals, Ganesha is invoked first to remove obstacles to the family's new life in the home.
The head of the household (traditionally carrying the Kalash) and lady of the house (traditionally with the coconut or a filled vessel) enter the home together, right foot first, at the chosen muhurat.
At the entrance or in the kitchen, milk is boiled in a new pot until it visibly rises and spills over — a symbol of abundance and prosperity overflowing into the new home — often followed by making kheer (rice pudding) from it as the household's first cooked food.
A sacred fire (havan) is lit inside the main living area, with mantras recited to purify the space and invoke blessings for everyone who will live there.
Lamps are lit in every room of the house, symbolizing that the home is now spiritually awake and inhabited.
A short Lakshmi puja is performed to invite prosperity, followed by aarti, distribution of prasad, and often a shared meal to mark the occasion.
The exact sequence and regional additions (such as breaking a coconut at the threshold, or a Satyanarayan Puja performed shortly after moving in) vary considerably by region and family tradition; the muhurat and full ritual are almost always planned with a priest.