How to have a puja performed in India from abroad

What a sankalp is, what to send, and what to check before booking any puja service.

Your family's names,at a temple in India.The sankalpYour names and gotra✓The occasion✓Video of the pujasent to you

You can't always travel home for a birthday, an anniversary, a new home, a new baby or the anniversary of a loved one's passing. Many families abroad ask a temple in India to perform a puja (pooja) for them instead. This guide explains how it works and what to check.

The sankalp: how the puja becomes yours

Every puja begins with a sankalp, a statement of intention. The priest recites the date and place, the names of the people the puja is for, their gotra and the purpose of the puja. When a puja is performed on your behalf, the priest takes the sankalp in your family's names. That is what makes it your puja, even though you're not there.

Time and placeThe priest names the day by the panchang and the place: the temple and its town.
Your family's namesEach person the puja is for, by name.
Your gotraAnd your nakshatra or rashi, if you sent them.
The intentionWhy the puja is being done: a birthday, a new home, the family's well-being.

What a sankalp contains, in the order a priest usually recites it. Wording varies by temple and tradition.

Your family's names, read in the sankalp

What to send

The names for the sankalp, usually the family members the puja is for.
Your gotra, if you know it. If you don't, tell us. Many families then use Kashyapa gotra, as is traditional when the gotra isn't known.
Your nakshatra or rashi, if you know it. It's optional.
The occasion or intention. You can keep it general, such as the family's well-being.
Any date you'd like, for example a birthday, an anniversary or a festival.

Dates and the time difference

Temples perform pujas on Indian time, usually in the morning. India is 9½ to 10½ hours ahead of the US East Coast and 12½ to 13½ hours ahead of the West Coast, so a morning puja in India is the previous evening in North America. In Australia it falls in the late morning or early afternoon. If the date matters to you, for example a birthday, tell us whether you mean the Indian date or your local date.

One puja, three clocks. A 7:00 am puja on Tuesday in Varanasi is 9:30 pm on Monday in Toronto and 12:30 pm on Tuesday in Sydney (in October, with daylight saving in both). If a birthday falls on Tuesday where you live, the Indian morning of Tuesday may already be over.

Some families light a diya at home at around the time of the puja. You receive the video afterwards.

What to check before booking any puja service

Your names in the sankalp. Is the sankalp taken in your family's names, and can you see or hear it in the video?
Which temple, and which date. Do you know where and when the puja is performed?
Proof. Do you receive a video of your puja, and how soon?
Group or individual. Is it made clear whether many families share one puja?
No promises. Be careful of anyone who promises a result, such as a marriage, a job or a cure. A puja is a religious service, and no honest temple guarantees an outcome.
Refunds. What happens if the puja isn't performed?

How our pujas work

Ask on WhatsAppMessage us and choose a temple puja. The price is shown before you pay.
Send the detailsAfter paying, send the details above.
We confirm the temple and dateWe agree the date with the temple and confirm it with you, with the temple's name and town.
The puja is performedA priest performs the puja at the temple, with a sankalp in your family's names. Each puja is for one family only, not shared with other families.
You receive the videoYou receive a video of your puja within 7 days. It shows the temple, the date and your family's names being read in the sankalp. If it isn't performed within 14 days of the agreed date, you get a full refund without having to ask.

Price per puja: US$69 · C$95 · A$105, for one standard puja with your family's sankalp, including materials and the priest's dakshina. Posting prasad abroad isn't included.