Namkaran Puja is of utmost importance amongst Hindus. It is one of the first religious Puja that everyone participates as a child. The word Naam means Name, and Karan means to make or to effect; hence, the word Namkaran means to decide and effect the name of a new born child. The ceremony is presided by a priest in which all the family members get together for a joyous celebration to welcome a new member in the house.

Namkaran is the naming ceremony performed for every Hind child. It is a religious practice of initiating a child into a religion and at the same time reminding the parents of the newborn child their duties and responsibilities. Namkaran Puja is a ritual of providing Samskaaras to the child, which is considered to be of utmost importance in shaping the character and upbringing of a child. Vedas and Sutras provide certain guidelines which are to be followed while naming a child. For e.g, Grihya Sutra states that a child be named as per following

• A name should be easy to pronounce and sound pleasant


• Should indicate the sex of the child


• Should signify the stature and social standing of the family


• Should contain specific number of vowels and letters as per the sex of the child.

The ceremony is a reaffirmation of the importance of a human life form that a baby is born with and an attempt to instill Samskaaras at an early stage of the child’s life with blessings so that he can live happy fulfilled life, following the lineage of his ancestors.

Namkaran signifies bestowing Sanskaar on a child that is performed with a joyous celebration to welcome the baby. The Namkaran Puja includes naming the child as well. Its benefits are -

Namkaran Puja is performed upon the birth of a child in the family to bestow both Sanskaars and blessings of everyone upon him. The sanskaars are said to bestow both happiness and longevity to life.

Namkaran Puja can be carried out either at Temple or even at home in a small private ceremony that includes the presence of family members. The ceremony is carried out by a Pandit

Specific Mantras are chanted by the priest while drawing a child’s horoscope and naming him.

"|| Om Medhate Devaha ||"

O beloved son, May god bless you with sharp acumen and intellect to study the Vedas and prosper in life.