Living abroad changes many things, but for most families it does not change the wish to mark a birthday, a death anniversary, a new home or a difficult time with a puja. The challenge is practical. The nearest temple may be an hour away, the priest there may follow a different tradition, and the muhurat in India falls in the middle of your night or your working day.
Online puja has become a natural answer for many NRI families. A Pandit in India performs the ritual in your family's name while you join live on video, see every step and take part in the sankalp and aarti. This guide explains how it works, how to plan around time zones and which rituals suit an online format.
What an online puja actually is
In an online puja, the ritual is performed in full by a Pandit in India, at a home altar, a puja room or a temple town such as Varanasi or Prayagraj. You and your family join by video call from wherever you live.
The most important moment for the family is the sankalp, the formal statement of intention at the start. The Pandit speaks your names, your gotra, the place and the purpose of the puja, and in many traditions asks you to hold water, rice or flowers and repeat after him. Done this way, the ritual is offered on your behalf even though you are thousands of kilometres away.
After the sankalp you follow along as the Pandit performs the puja, recites the path or katha and completes the aarti. Some families light a lamp and offer flowers at home at the same time, so the house feels part of the ritual too.
Pujas that suit an online format
Rituals that centre on mantra, path, katha and offerings made by the Pandit work very well online. Families abroad most often book:
- Rudrabhishek, especially during Sawan, on Mondays or on Maha Shivratri.
- Satyanarayan Katha on Purnima or after a happy event, with the katha read and explained.
- Mahamrityunjaya Jaap, often booked during illness or recovery, with the jaap count agreed in advance.
- Navagraha Puja and Shani Shanti Puja, sometimes after a kundali consultation.
- Pind Daan, Shraddha and Tarpan for ancestors, performed by the Ganga in Varanasi or at the Sangam in Prayagraj during Pitru Paksha or on the tithi.
- Lakshmi Puja on Diwali and Ganapati Homam for new beginnings.
Rituals that need the family present
Some rituals are built around a person being physically present, and are better kept for a visit home or arranged locally. These include Griha Pravesh, where the family enters the new home, Vivah Sanskar, Mundan, where the child's hair is cut, Annaprashan, and Asthi Visarjan. If you are unsure, ask before booking and we will explain what is possible.
Planning across time zones
The ritual takes place in Indian Standard Time, so the main planning task is finding a slot that respects the muhurat and still lets your family join comfortably. As a general guide:
- USA and Canada: IST is about 9½ to 13½ hours ahead, depending on your time zone and daylight saving. A morning puja in India often falls on the previous evening in North America.
- UK and Ireland: IST is 4½ hours ahead in summer and 5½ hours ahead in winter.
- Germany, France, the Netherlands and much of Europe: IST is 3½ hours ahead in summer and 4½ hours ahead in winter.
- UAE and Oman: IST is 1½ hours ahead.
- Singapore and Malaysia: IST is 2½ hours behind.
- Australia: IST is about 2½ to 5½ hours behind, depending on your state and daylight saving.
Ask for the start time in both IST and your local time when you book. It avoids the most common mix up of all.
What to keep ready at home
Very little is needed on your side. A simple, calm setup helps the family feel part of the ritual:
- 1A device and a stable connectionA phone, tablet or laptop on a stand, charged, with a good internet connection. Test the video link a day before.
- 2A small altar cornerA lamp or diya, incense, a few fresh flowers and a picture of the deity. Many families also keep a small glass of water.
- 3Names and gotra written downWrite out the names of everyone to be included in the sankalp, with the gotra, so nothing is missed.
- 4PrasadFruits or sweets placed before the deity can be shared as prasad after the aarti.
Step by step: how a booking works
- 1Share your details on WhatsAppTell us the puja, your country and time zone, the occasion and the names to be included.
- 2Agree the date, time and dakshinaWe suggest a muhurat and start time that works for both the ritual and your schedule, and confirm the dakshina before you book.
- 3Join by videoOn the day, join the video call a few minutes early. The Pandit takes the sankalp in your family's name and performs the ritual live.
- 4Complete with aartiThe puja ends with aarti. You can light your own lamp at home at the same moment.
Choosing the right day
Families abroad often ask whether an online puja should follow the Indian date or their local date. In most traditions the tithi, the lunar day, is calculated for India, and the Pandit performs the ritual at a muhurat in India. Your family joins at whatever local time that falls.
For festivals such as Diwali, Navratri or Maha Shivratri, the Indian date is usually the one families follow, even if the local community abroad celebrates on a nearby weekend for convenience. For personal occasions such as a birthday, an anniversary or a death anniversary, the Pandit can calculate the tithi and suggest the closest suitable day.
If your family is spread across countries, for example parents in India, one child in the UK and another in the USA, a single video call can bring everyone together for the sankalp. Share the time zones when you book so the start time works for as many people as possible.
Ancestral rites from abroad
For many families living overseas, the ritual they feel most unable to do is the one for their parents and grandparents. Shraddha on the tithi, Tarpan on Amavasya and Pind Daan during Pitru Paksha are deeply personal, and missing them can weigh on a family for years.
These rites are traditionally performed by the Ganga in Varanasi, at the Sangam in Prayagraj or at Gaya. With an online booking, a Pandit performs the rite at the ghat with the sankalp taken in your name, your gotra and the names of the ancestors being remembered. You join by video, hear the names spoken and watch the pinda being offered.
Families often keep a photograph of the person being remembered nearby, and some cook a simple meal of their favourite food at home on the same day to share with the family afterwards.
For Shraddha, share the tithi of passing if you know it. If you do not, the Pandit can explain which day in Pitru Paksha families commonly choose.
Keeping children connected
One of the quieter reasons families abroad book online pujas is the children. Growing up far from grandparents and family temples, children may know the festivals only as dates on a calendar. Watching a Pandit perform the ritual, hearing the mantras and taking part in the aarti gives them a real experience to remember.
Many Pandits are happy to explain each step in simple Hindi or English for younger family members. Asking a child to light the diya, hold the flowers for the sankalp or ring the bell during aarti turns a video call into something they genuinely take part in.
Why families choose PujaKarma for online puja
PujaKarma arranges online pujas for families in more than thirty countries, with Pandits who follow North Indian and South Indian vidhi and can explain the ritual in Hindi, Telugu, Kannada or Tamil where available. Everything, from the time zone to the dakshina, is confirmed on WhatsApp before you commit, and there is nothing to pay to enquire.
