Pandit for Annaprasana(Rice Feeding) Pooja: Cost, Vidhi And Benefits

99Pandit Ji

Last Updated:February 20, 2025

Annaprasana Pooja is one of the Hindu activities that is made up of mixing Sanskrit words anna, meaning ‘cooked rice,’ and prāśana, meaning ‘feeding.’ Annaprasana Pooja is mostly named after the baby’s first meal or rice-feeding ceremony.

Key Insights Of Annaprasana Pooja

• The purpose of Annaprasana Pooja is to make the baby strong and healthy.
• For baby boys, the best time to perform this ritual is at 6, 8, 10, or 12 months. For baby girls, it is done at 5, 7, 9, or 11 months.
• In South India, the ritual is often done in Telugu, and the main food offered is payasam (a sweet dish made with rice and milk), also known as Milk Rice.
• During the ceremony, the baby is given Kheer or Payasam as the main offering.

The Annaprasana Pooja is a very common puja for all Hindus. The main purpose behind this ritual is to transition the food diet from liquid to solid for the babies. Generally, this Pooja is performed for the baby boy in even months and baby girl in odd months.

Annaprasana Pooja must be performed before the child’s first birthday. This ritual can be performed at home or in the temple as well. The meaning of this Annaprasana Pooja is to introduce the child to solid food materials such as payasam or kheer. After this ritual, a variety of food is introduced to the baby.

What Is Annaprasana Pooja?

When a kid is prepared to switch from liquid to solid food, a ceremony called Annaprasana puja, also known as “Grain Initiation or Rice Feeding,” is done.

The child is typically given very little rice or sweet payasam to eat. The purpose of this pooja is to thank the Lord for blessing the parents with a healthy infant who is ready to consume solid food.

Perform Annaprasana puja when you are ready to transition your infant from a liquid to a solid diet. You can carry it out at any time between six months and the child’s first birthday.

Boys typically undergo Annaprasana in the sixth or eighth month of life within the first seven months. Girls typically have it done around the fifth or seventh month of pregnancy, which is the odd month.

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Annaprashan Puja is a custom that commemorates the addition of solid food to a child’s diet. “Prashan” means “to devour,” while “Anna” alludes to food or rice. Parents often carry out this ritual six months into a baby’s life. It is a child’s first bite of solid food.

The purpose of this ceremony is to ask God to grant the infant healthy digestive abilities. All of the child’s friends and family gather on this auspicious occasion to wish the child health and longevity.

This rite is significant because it invokes the blessing of the child’s health and long life from all the Gods, with Agni serving as a witness. It aids in cleansing any pollutants the youngster has accumulated thus far.

When To Perform Annaprasana Pooja?

The Annaprasana Pooja for a baby boy is typically scheduled when the child reaches the 6th or 8th month of life. For a baby girl, the ritual is usually performed in the 5th or 7th month. However, Pandits can help choose the most auspicious date based on the child’s janma nakshatra (birth star), a favorable tithi (date), and yoga (astrological combination).

Importance Of Annaprasana Pooja

Food is a very important part of our life since it fuels our bodies and gives us energy. Since ancient times, humans have dedicated our lives to improving our ability to feed ourselves. This event honors the value of food and the commencement of a person’s consumption of it.

They say a newborn achieves half of their success the day they start eating properly. Because this ceremony is one of the most crucial aspects of your baby’s care, you should carry it out in a sacred setting and follow all the necessary Annaprashan Vidhis.

Performing this rice-feeding ceremony is believed to eliminate any shortcomings that may have existed. However, this won’t happen until you follow the right Vedic procedure. Even though the infant has been drinking milk, this ritual is significant since it marks his first time eating solid food. 

Consider age. The right age to perform this puja is between the ages of six and seven. Delaying it too much could impact the child’s health because if done sooner, his body would not be able to digest it.

Religious Significance Of Annaprasana Pooja

The Annaprasana Ceremony is performed to help a child have a healthy and prosperous life in the long run. The meaning of this ritual, Annaprasana Pooja, describes the first rice feeding of the child.

The Annaprasana Puja is completed when the boy or girl child is between the ages of five and eight months old because, during that time, the child gains the strength to digest solid food or rice.

However, in some scenarios, if the child is very weak, we could postpone this ritual to the next scheduled time. Typically, parents perform the Annaprasana Puja for baby girls during odd months and for baby boys during even months.

Throughout the entire ceremony, organizers place some objects in front of the babies to gauge their future interests in the area.

Whatever items a baby picks up determines their future interest in life. The father of the baby feeds the child to sit on his lap; at that time, the pandit chants the ritual to bless the child. Babies get blessings from God, elders, and Pandit Ji for good digestive powers, talent, and good thought.

Where Can You Perform Annaprasana Pooja?

People mainly perform the Hindu ritual Annaprasana Pooja at home or in the temple. However, some parents prefer to perform the ritual at a banquet hall or community center for the function. In Telangana, many parents prefer to perform the ritual at the temple of their famous god.

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Separately, many families in eastern India or central perform Annaprasana Puja at home. If you want to perform the ceremony at home, you may contact an expert pandit to help with Hindu religious activities.

The procedure of Annaprasana Pooja 

Under the process of Annaprasana Puja, the pandit ji will perform the Ganesh pooja as the first part of this ritual. After this, the worship of Navagraha, Ashtadkpalakas, and Brahma-Vishnu-Maheshwara will perform the Mandapa Aradhana. Offer the Naivedya to the god.

The parents of the baby need to sit in the direction of the east to keep the baby on the mother’s lap. The father of the baby takes a gold ring and feeds the baby 3 times by saying this:

• Deerga Ayushman bhava
• Shata Ayushman bhava
• Vardhaswa

Later on, participants will complete the auspicious Annaprasana Puja with a fun game called Jeevika Parikaha. This game is a ritual that is mentioned in Markandeya Purana, where some symbolic objects are placed over a banana leaf or metallic tray that your baby chooses.

The objects offered to the baby include

• Books for Learning
• Jewels for Wealth
• A Pen for Wisdom
• Haldi and Kumkum for Soubhagya
• Food items for a Love of food

The main purpose of this ritual is to believe that whatever object a baby picks up from the tray represents his/her interest in the future. The babies can choose from among the objects in the Annaprasana pooja item list.

Experts believe that the object a baby selects reflects his or her interests. When Brahman chants Mhavyahritis, they present prayers to Goddess Annapoorna, and then they serve the baby Kheer (rice pudding).

The event also includes the preparation of Poorvanga Hawanas, such as the Ganapathi Havan, Navgraha Havan, and Avahanti Havan. Annaprashan Puja, when performed in line with the Veda, cures any defects a child has before birth.

What kind of food is offered to babies during Annaprasana Pooja?

During the Annaprasana Pooja, the family serves a variety of food items to the baby on a plate. For the prasad food, usually rice pudding, if you want to feed it, you can offer something sweet. Alternatively, it might just be plain mashed rice with ghee and some well-cooked dal.

Some of them also select an elaborate celebration and serve fried rice, pulao, and vegetables, and sweets such as kheer & payasam.

Benefits Annaprasana Pooja

• Protection and Lifespan: Annaprasana Pooja helps protect the child and increase their lifespan.
• Cleansing: It is believed to cleanse any unwanted things the baby may have absorbed in the womb.
• Protection through Telugu Vidhanam: Performing Annaprasana Pooja Vidhanam in Telugu is thought to protect the child.
• Future Interests: The ritual is believed to provide insight into the child’s future career or interests.
• Divine Blessings: Through this ritual, God is believed to bestow prosperity and blessings on the child.

Cost of Annaprasana Pooja

The cost of Annaprasana Pooja starts from Rs. 10,000 and can go up to Rs. 30,000. This price package typically includes the pandit’s dakshina (fee), food and accommodation, and a list of puja items.

In Telangana, people perform a variety of rituals in accordance with Hindu traditions, often conducted in the Telugu language, a South Indian language.

Many consider the cost of the Annaprasana Pooja items and Pooja Vidhanam in Telugu to be reasonable. You can easily book a pandit online or search for a pandit near me to perform the Annaprasana Pooja Vidhanam in Telugu.

Conclusion

Annaprasana Pooja is one of the most important poojas in Hinduism. Devotees perform this pooja to seek the blessings of the deities for the newborn child. Devotees consider feeding the newborn child before the deities as auspicious.

Similarly, they perform Annaprasana Pooja and offer kheer or payasam as Prasadam to the deities. Then, we offer this Prasadam to the newborn child. It is important to perform the rituals of Annaprasana Pooja as per the authentic vidhi.

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