A complete step-by-step guide to performing Hanuman puja at home.
What You Need
- Hanuman idol or framed picture
- Red flowers and garland
- Sindoor (vermilion)
- Gur (jaggery) and chana (gram)
- Diya with mustard oil or ghee
- Incense sticks
- Panchamrit (milk, curd, honey, ghee, sugar)
The 13 Steps
- Purify yourself – Bathe before puja. Wear clean clothes, preferably saffron or orange.
- Prepare the altar – Place the Hanuman image on a clean cloth facing east.
- Invoke Ram first – Chant Om Shri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram three times. Hanuman serves Ram – invoking Ram first is the traditional opening.
- Light the diya – Light a diya with mustard oil or ghee and incense sticks.
- Panchamrit abhishek – Offer panchamrit in a small bowl at the feet of the idol.
- Offer sindoor – Apply sindoor to the forehead of the idol with your ring finger.
- Offer flowers – Place red flowers and a garland at the feet or around the neck.
- Offer gur-chana – Present gur and chana as naivedya (food offering).
- Recite Hanuman Chalisa – Once on regular days, 5 or 11 times on Tuesdays and Saturdays.
- Recite Sundar Kand – Optional but highly auspicious. Even one chapter is sufficient.
- Aarti – Perform aarti moving the diya clockwise while singing the aarti.
- Pradakshina – Walk around the idol 5 times, or bow 5 times in place.
- Distribute prasad – Offer the gur-chana as prasad to family members.
What Not to Do
- Do not offer tulsi leaves to Hanuman (tulsi is for Vishnu)
- Do not offer white flowers – red, orange, and yellow are auspicious
- Do not perform puja after consuming non-vegetarian food or alcohol
Jai Bajrang Bali! Even a simple puja performed with full devotion pleases Hanuman more than an elaborate ritual done mechanically.