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How to Perform a Puja When You Live Abroad (Simple Step-by-Step Guide)

Living abroad doesn’t mean you have to miss important Vedic rituals. Whether you’re in the US, Canada, UK, Europe, Australia, or the Middle East, you can still perform a meaningful puja at home with a simple setup, basic items, and the right guidance.

This guide is written especially for NRIs and families outside India who want a practical, stress-free way to do pujas the traditional way—without needing a large temple space or hard-to-find materials.

Why doing puja abroad still “counts”

A puja is not about how big your setup is. It is about bhakti (devotion), sankalp (intention), and doing the steps with sincerity.

If you live abroad, it’s completely acceptable to:

• Do a small home setup in an apartment or shared space
• Use simple alternatives when certain items aren’t available
• Take guidance from an experienced pandit/priest online so rituals stay authentic

Step 1: Choose a peaceful corner for your puja

You don’t need a separate puja room. A clean, quiet corner is enough.

• A simple NRI-friendly setup
• A small table or shelf
• A clean cloth (white/yellow/red)
• A photo or small idol of the deity
• A diya (oil lamp) or a candle
• Incense (optional)

Tip: If you have kids, choose a safe area where the diya/candle won’t be disturbed.

Step 2: Keep essential puja items ready (with English names)

You can perform most pujas abroad with these basics.

Essential items checklist

• Diya (oil lamp) or candle
• Agarbatti (incense sticks) (optional)
• Flowers (any local flowers work)
• Fruits (bananas/apples/oranges are fine)
• Akshata (raw rice)—plain rice works too
• Kumkum and turmeric (optional)
• Water in a small bowl
• Naivedyam/Prasadam (a sweet or fruit offering)

If you can’t find traditional items

• No ghee? Use any safe oil or a candle.
• No specific flowers? Any fresh flowers are acceptable.
• No camphor? You can skip it—don’t stress.

The goal is simplicity with devotion.

Step 3: Choose the right puja based on your goal

If you’re unsure what puja to do, use this simple guide:

• Pujas based on common needs
• Peace, protection, removing negativity: Ganapathi Puja / Durga Puja
• Health and healing: Maha Mrityunjaya Japa / Puja
• Prosperity and stability: Lakshmi Puja / Satyanarayana Puja
• New home/moving in: Griha Pravesh Puja
• Obstacles, delays, new beginnings: Ganapathi Homam
• Career and progress: Navagraha Puja (based on guidance)

Step 4: How online puja works (what to expect)

Online puja is helpful for NRIs because you get the correct process without confusion.

Before the puja, you share:

• Your name (for sankalp)
• City & country (time zone)
• Purpose (health, peace, prosperity, marriage, job, etc.)
• Preferred date and time window
• Language preference (optional)

During the puja

• The pandit guides you step-by-step (video call)
• Sankalp is taken with your name and purpose
• Mantras are chanted, and offerings are done
• You follow simple actions like offering flowers, akshata, fruits, etc.

After the puja

You are guided on prasadam and any simple follow-up steps (if applicable)

Step 5: Time-zone planning (so everything goes smoothly)

The most common issue for NRIs is timing confusion. The easiest solution is:

Share your location clearly

Example:

• “Chicago, USA (Central Time)”
• “London, UK (GMT)”
• “Sydney, Australia (AEDT)”

Share 2–3 preferred time windows

Example:

Saturday 9:00–11:00 AM

Sunday 6:00–8:00 PM

Weekdays after 7:00 PM

This avoids back-and-forth and helps finalize quickly.
 

Step 6: Common mistakes to avoid
 

• Overthinking the items list (simple is fine)
• Selecting time without confirming the time zone
• Skipping sankalp (intention)
• Trying a complex ritual alone for the first time
• Guided puja makes it easy and authentic.
• Simple puja flow you can follow at home (basic version)
• Even a small puja done with sincerity is meaningful.

Basic steps

• Clean the space and wash hands
• Light diya/candle and incense (optional)
• Sit calmly and take a moment for prayer
• Offer flowers/akshata/fruits
• Listen or repeat mantras as guided
• Do a short namaskar and distribute prasadam

Book Puja Services Online

You can book puja services online through our website. Choose the puja you need, select your preferred date/time, and complete the booking in a few simple steps.

Book now: www.vedicblessing.com

What we need from you (for smooth scheduling)

After booking, please keep these details ready:

• Name(s) for sankalp
• City/Country (time zone)
• Purpose/goal
• Preferred date/time window
• Language preference (optional)

Need help choosing the right puja?

If you’re not sure which puja is best for your need, reach out and we’ll guide you.