Griha Pravesh · Samagri
Griha Pravesh Samagri List: A Complete, Printable Checklist
Griha Pravesh samagri (गृह प्रवेश सामग्री) is the set of items for the housewarming puja: a kalash with mango leaves and a coconut for the entry, the things for Ganesh puja and Navagraha puja, a Vastu puja set, the havan materials, and milk and a new pot for the first boiling in the kitchen. The checklist below groups every item by the part of the puja it is used in, so you can tick it off and print it; your pandit may add or drop items to suit your family's custom.
For the entry and the kalash
The kalash is carried in at the moment of entry and placed in the puja area; it stands for fullness and for the deities invoked into it.
- Kalash: a copper, brass or silver pot (a clean steel one if nothing else is at hand)
- Clean water, with a little Ganga jal if you have it
- Five or seven mango leaves (or ashoka leaves) for the mouth of the kalash
- A whole coconut with its tuft, wrapped in red cloth and tied with mauli (red sacred thread)
- A coin, a betel nut (supari), a little rice and a few flowers to place inside the kalash
- Toran for the main door: a string of mango leaves or marigolds
- Rangoli colours or rice flour, and haldi and kumkum for the threshold and a swastika
For the Ganesh puja
Every Griha Pravesh begins by worshipping Ganesh (गणेश), who removes obstacles. These items also serve the rest of the puja, so buy them in slightly larger quantities.
- A Ganesh idol or picture, and a picture of your family deity (kuldevta)
- A low wooden seat (chowki) and a red or yellow cloth to cover it
- Haldi, kumkum, chandan (sandalwood paste) and sindoor
- Akshat: unbroken rice, lightly coloured with haldi or kumkum
- Mauli, janeu (sacred thread) and a small piece of new cloth
- Durva grass, red flowers, garlands and loose petals
- Betel leaves, whole supari, cloves and cardamom
- Modak or laddoo, fruit, and panchamrit ingredients: milk, curd, ghee, honey and sugar
- Incense sticks, dhoop, a ghee lamp with cotton wicks, camphor and a bell
For the havan
The havan purifies the house with fire and mantras. Check your building's rules and the smoke alarm first; in a small flat the pandit can keep the fire very small or adapt this part.
- A havan kund (copper or iron) or a metal tray on bricks, with a heatproof base under it
- Mango-wood sticks (samidha), cut small, and a few cow-dung cakes where they are used
- Ready havan samagri mix, black sesame, barley and a little jaggery
- Ghee (about half a kilo for a full havan) and a long spoon for offering it
- A dry coconut (gola) for the purnahuti, the final offering
- Matches, a fan or folded paper, and a bucket of water kept nearby
For the kitchen, the aarti and the close
- A new or freshly cleaned vessel, milk and a little rice and sugar for the first boiling and kheer
- Aarti plate, extra ghee wicks and camphor
- Prasad for guests, and a clean cloth to cover it
- Dakshina for the pandit, with fruit, a cloth or sweets as your family's custom suggests
- Mats or durries to sit on, a water jug (lota), small bowls and spoons
- Food grains or a sack of rice and some salt, which many families carry in early as a sign of plenty
Regional variations
The core of the list is shared across India, but the details change with region and family. In much of South India the doorway is decorated with banana plants, the milk is boiled with turmeric-tied vessels on a new stove, some traditional households bring a cow to the threshold first, and a Ganapathi homam is common. Bengali families often place a ghot (an earthen kalash) with a mango branch and use alpana instead of rangoli. In Gujarat and Rajasthan a Vastu puja with a small foundation offering is widespread, and Maharashtrian families frequently keep a Satyanarayan puja on the same day.
Follow your elders first and your pandit second. If the two differ, the family custom usually wins; the pandit can fit the mantras around it.
Short of time? We can arrange it
If you book the puja through Proper Pandit, we can arrange the samagri with it. Message us on WhatsApp with the city and the date; we confirm what is included and the price before you book. You can also print this page and give it to your local puja shop.
Still choosing a date? See the Griha Pravesh muhurat for your city, and the step-by-step vidhi to see where each item is used.
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum samagri for a simple Griha Pravesh?
A kalash with water, mango leaves and a coconut; a Ganesh picture; haldi, kumkum, akshat, flowers, incense and a ghee lamp; fruit and sweets for prasad; and milk with a pot for the kitchen. The havan and Navagraha items can be left out of a short puja.
Does the pandit bring the samagri?
Some pandits bring a ready kit and some expect the family to buy it. Ask when you book. When you book through us, the samagri can be arranged and is listed for you before you pay.
Which pot should we use to boil milk?
Traditionally a new vessel, often brass or steel, used first for this. Many families let the milk rise and spill over a little as a sign of plenty, then make kheer with it.
Can we do a havan in an apartment?
Usually yes with a small kund, a heatproof base and ventilation. Check your society's rules and the smoke alarm first; if a fire is not allowed, the pandit can perform that portion with a lamp and mantras.
Is the samagri different for a rented home?
The list is the same; many families simply keep the puja shorter, often a Ganesh puja, kalash, Vastu puja and the milk boiling, without a large havan.