---
title: "Booking a Puja for Your Parents in India, From Abroad"
description: "Booking a puja for parents in India from abroad: choosing a ritual for health or a birthday, gathering their details, and letting them share in it."
author: "Manikandan"
published: 2026-11-11
updated: 2026-11-11
canonical: https://www.pariharaonline.com/blog/booking-a-puja-for-parents
tags: ["Online Puja", "NRI Life", "Family"]
---

# Booking a Puja for Your Parents in India, From Abroad

## In short

- Booking a puja for parents in India from abroad needs only their names, gotra and birth star; the ritual is performed in their names at the temple.
- Ayushya homam suits a lunar birthday, while Mrityunjaya homam is traditionally chosen during illness or recovery.

When you live on the other side of the world, a puja in your parents' names can say what a phone call cannot. If you want to book a puja for your parents in India while you live abroad, you need very little: their names, their gotra or family lineage, and their nakshatra or birth star. The priest performs the ritual in their names at the temple, and the prasadam can be posted straight to their door. The harder part is choosing which ritual, and making sure they feel part of it rather than simply informed.

## Why book a puja for your parents in India?

The year my father had his knee surgery, I was in New Jersey with a product launch I could not move. My sister sat in the hospital. I sat on calls, checking my phone between slides. There was nothing useful I could do from there, and that feeling, of wanting to help and having no hands, is one most of us abroad know well.

A puja does not fix that. It does give the wish somewhere to go. People book them for many reasons: a parent's birthday, recovery from illness, a sixtieth or eightieth milestone, the anniversary of a grandparent's passing, or simply because it has been too long since they visited. The Taittiriya Upanishad tells the departing student, matru devo bhava, pitru devo bhava: let your mother be a god to you, let your father be a god to you. For many of us, a puja in their names is a way of keeping that line when we cannot keep the visits.

If the reason is illness, I have written separately about [praying for a sick parent from far away](https://www.pariharaonline.com/blog/praying-for-a-sick-parent), which is a different kind of waiting.

## Choosing the ritual

There is no single correct choice, but some rituals are traditionally tied to certain occasions.

- **Ayushya homam, for a birthday.** Ayushya means lifespan, and this homam, a fire ritual, is a prayer for long and healthy life. It is usually done on the janma nakshatra, the day in the lunar month when the parent's birth star returns, which is the traditional Hindu birthday. There is more on this in [the Ayushya homam and the star birthday](https://www.pariharaonline.com/blog/ayushya-homam-star-birthday).
- **Mrityunjaya homam, during illness or recovery.** Dedicated to Shiva as the conqueror of death, it is chosen when a parent is unwell, before surgery, or during a long recovery. It is a prayer for strength and peace, offered alongside medical care, never instead of it.
- **A temple archana, for thanks.** An archana, the chanting of a deity's names with the devotee's name added, is simple and lovely for an ordinary occasion, or to say thank you after a difficult stretch has passed.

If you are unsure whether you need a homam or a puja at all, [homam versus puja](https://www.pariharaonline.com/blog/homam-vs-puja) explains the difference plainly.

## What details do you need from them?

This is where one phone call saves a lot of back and forth. Ask for:

- **Full names** of each parent, as they would like them spoken.
- **Gotra.** Many parents know it immediately; if they do not, the priest can use a traditional substitute.
- **Nakshatra.** Their birth star. If they only know their birth date and time, a panchangam or astrologer can work it out.
- **Whether they want to attend** in person, if they live near the temple.
- **The address for the prasadam**, if you want it to reach them rather than you.

These details form the sankalpam, the statement of intention with which the priest begins. If any of this is new to you, read [what sankalpam is, with name, gotra and star explained](https://www.pariharaonline.com/blog/what-is-sankalpam). And for the mechanics of booking from the US, including time zones and photos, [how online puja from the USA works](https://www.pariharaonline.com/blog/online-puja-from-usa-explained) covers it step by step.

One gentle suggestion: tell your parents before you book, not after. Some will want to choose the temple, or the day. Some will say it is unnecessary and then tell every relative about it for a month. Both are fine.

## One small thing to carry into the week

On the morning of the puja, their morning, call them. For most of us in the US, that means the night before. Ask them to light the lamp at home, and light yours at the same moment, one flame in Chennai and one on a kitchen counter in New Jersey.

You do not need to say much. My father, who is not a talkative man, only said, "Good, good," and held the phone up so I could see the lamp. It was enough. This week, if you do nothing else, find out your parents' nakshatras and write them down somewhere you will not lose them.

## Questions people ask

### Which puja is good for my parents' health?

Traditionally, families choose Mrityunjaya homam, dedicated to Shiva as the conqueror of death, when a parent is unwell or recovering, and Ayushya homam for longevity on a birthday. Dhanvantari homam honours the deity of healing. These are prayers for strength and peace, offered alongside medical care, never instead of it.

### Can I book a puja for my parents' birthday online?

Yes. Many families book an Ayushya homam on the parent's janma nakshatra, the day their birth star returns in the lunar month, which is the traditional birthday. Share their names, gotra and star when booking. Services like PariharaOnline can post prasadam to their address in India so they receive it directly.

### Do my parents need to be present for the puja?

No. The priest performs the ritual with their names and details in the sankalpam, the statement of intention, so it is offered on their behalf. If they live near the temple and wish to attend, they can. Otherwise, lighting a lamp at home during the puja hour is a simple way for them to take part.

## Related reading

- [Online Puja From the USA: How It Actually Works](https://www.pariharaonline.com/blog/online-puja-from-usa-explained)
- [What Is Sankalpam? Name, Gotra and Star Explained](https://www.pariharaonline.com/blog/what-is-sankalpam)
- [Homam vs Puja: What Is the Difference?](https://www.pariharaonline.com/blog/homam-vs-puja)

Source: https://www.pariharaonline.com/blog/booking-a-puja-for-parents