🍚 Annaprashan Sanskar · अन्नप्राशन संस्कार
Also called Annaprashana · First rice ceremony · Mukhe Bhaat · अन्नप्राशन
Annaprashan is the sanskar that marks a child's first taste of solid food. Until this day the baby has lived on milk; the ceremony introduces grain, with prayers that what the child eats through life should give strength, health and a clear mind. It is one of the sixteen sanskaras, and one of the gentlest — a family occasion built around a single spoonful of kheer.
Pick a date and time and pay — our team assigns a verified pandit who specialises in this ritual.
When Annaprashan is performed
The ceremony is held once the child is ready for solid food, usually in the sixth or seventh month. A common custom is an even month — the sixth or eighth — for a boy and an odd month — the fifth or seventh — for a girl. The pandit fixes the muhurat from the child's birth details and the tithi and nakshatra of the day.
The rite has different names and small differences across India: Mukhe Bhaat in Bengal, Choroonu in Kerala, where it is often held at a temple. Tell the pandit your family's tradition and he will follow it.
What happens during Annaprashan Sanskar
The pandit begins with Ganesh puja, sankalp in the child's name and kalash sthapana, followed by a short havan. The food — kheer of rice, milk and sugar in most homes — is first offered to the deities.
The child, bathed and dressed in new clothes, sits in a parent's or the maternal uncle's lap and is given the first spoonful while the mantras are recited. The elders of the family then feed the child in turn and give their blessings. In many families a tray of objects follows — a book, a pen, a little earth, gold or money — and whichever the child reaches for first is taken, lightly, as a sign of where their interests will lie.
Arranging an Annaprashan at home
Prepare the kheer fresh that morning and keep it plain. You will need a silver or clean new bowl and spoon, new clothes for the baby, a kalash, flowers, fruit and the havan samagri on the list the pandit sends. The havan is kept short and the room should be ventilated — tell the pandit if the baby is sensitive to smoke and he will keep the child away from the fire.
Choose a time of day when the baby is usually rested and fed, and ask your paediatrician beforehand if you have any doubt about the child being ready for solids.
Annaprashan Sanskar · अन्नप्राशन संस्कार — common questions
At what age should Annaprashan be done?
Usually in the sixth or seventh month, once the child is ready for solid food. By common custom an even month is chosen for a boy and an odd month for a girl.
How long does the Annaprashan ceremony take?
About ninety minutes, including the puja and a short havan.
What is fed to the baby in Annaprashan?
Kheer made of rice, milk and sugar in most families, first offered to the deities. Only a small taste is given.
Can Annaprashan be performed at a temple?
It can, and in some traditions it usually is. This booking is for a pandit to perform it at your home; tell us if you want it elsewhere.
Ready to book your Annaprashan Sanskar?
Choose your date and time and pay online. We arrange the pandit and confirm your booking.
Book this pooja →Choosing a date
See the tithi, nakshatra and Rahu Kaal for any day in today's panchang and the Hindu calendar for the month. The muhurat for your own ceremony is calculated by the pandit from your family's details once you book.
Book Annaprashan Sanskar in your city
Pandits travel across Delhi NCR for this ritual: Annaprashan Sanskar pandit in Delhi · Annaprashan Sanskar pandit in Noida · Annaprashan Sanskar pandit in Greater Noida · Annaprashan Sanskar pandit in Ghaziabad · Annaprashan Sanskar pandit in Gurugram · Annaprashan Sanskar pandit in Faridabad · Annaprashan Sanskar pandit in Meerut.
Pandits who perform Annaprashan Sanskar
Dinesh Mishra (Delhi) · Pandit Aacharya Anand Chandra Pandey (Ghaziabad) · Pandit Acharya Ashok Shukla (Ghaziabad, Delhi, Noida) · Pandit Acharya Rajan Prasad Tripathi Ji (Delhi) · Pandit Bhaskar Tiwari (Delhi) · Pandit Pt Yogiraj Sastri (Delhi) · Pandit Shambhu Dutt Shastri (Delhi) · Prakash Chandra Joshi (Delhi) · Saurabh Pokhriyal (Delhi).
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Other poojas
Often booked alongside Annaprashan Sanskar: Namkaran Sanskar · नामकरण संस्कार · Mundan Sanskar · मुंडन संस्कार · Ayushya Havan · आयुष्य हवन.
Griha Pravesh Pooja · Satyanarayan Katha · Navagraha Shanti Pooja · Rudrabhishek Pooja · Vivah Sanskar · Ganesh Puja · Mahamrityunjaya Jaap · Bhoomi Pujan · Vastu Shanti Pooja · Manglik Dosh Nivaran Pooja · Lakshmi Puja · Karwa Chauth Puja · Kuber Lakshmi Puja · Durga Puja · Navchandi Path · Hanuman Puja · Janmashtami Katha · Saraswati Puja · Shiv Puja · Godh Bharai · Upanayana Sanskar · Sagai Ceremony · Vahan Puja · Shop & Office Opening Pooja · Antim Sanskar & Shraddh · Sundarkand Path · Akhand Ramayan Path · Shrimad Bhagwat Katha · Bhagavad Gita Path · Vishnu Sahasranama Path · Gayatri Havan · Kaal Sarp Dosh Nivaran · Pitra Dosh Shanti
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