Navgrah Shanti Puja Vidhi: Samagri, Cost & When to Do It

Navgrah Shanti Puja is a single ritual in which all nine grahas are worshipped together: each is invoked in a mandal, its mantra is chanted, offerings are made into a havan, and daan is given in its name. Families perform it as a prayer for balance and peace among the grahas, which Jyotish sees as influences on a person's life.

The nine grahas are:

• Surya (Sun), see our Surya page
• Chandra (Moon)
• Mangal (Mars)
• Budh (Mercury)
• Guru or Brihaspati (Jupiter)
• Shukra (Venus)
• Shani (Saturn), see our Shani page
• Rahu and Ketu, the two lunar nodes, called chhaya grahas or shadow planets

It is a general graha shanti. It is not a specific dosha nivaran rite, such as one an astrologer may suggest for a particular dosha in a kundli. If someone has named a specific rite for you, ask them what exactly they mean before you book anything.

There is no fixed day or season. These are the common occasions:

• As part of the rites before a griha pravesh or a wedding, alongside Ganesh puja
• At the start of a new dasha in a family member's chart
• When the family astrologer or priest suggests it
• As a yearly family practice, often on a date the priest picks from the panchang

Some families keep a Navgrah Shanti for a specific worry, such as an exam year or a difficult stretch at work. That is a personal prayer. The puja does not promise any particular result, and practical problems still need practical help.

The order below is the common one. Priests adjust details to their own tradition.

1. Preparation: the family bathes and sits facing east. The priest sets up the altar, the kalash and the havan kund.
2. Ganesh puja: every rite begins with Ganesh, often with Gauri.
3. Sankalp: the person or family says their name, gotra, the place, the date and the purpose of the puja.
4. Kalash sthapana: a pot of water with mango leaves and a coconut is set up and worshipped.
5. Navgrah mandal: a mandal of nine sections is made with grains or coloured cloth, with Surya at the centre and the other eight around him in fixed directions. Each section uses that graha's traditional colour, for example red for Surya, white for Chandra, green for Budh, yellow for Guru and black for Shani.
6. Avahan and puja: each graha is invoked and offered sandal paste, akshat, flowers and naivedya.
7. Mantra jaap: the mantra of each graha is chanted. Traditions use Vedic mantras, beej mantras or both, and the count for each graha varies. Many families also recite the Navgrah Stotram.
8. Havan: offerings of ghee, havan samagri and each graha's samidha are made into the fire while its mantra is chanted, ending with purnahuti.
9. Aarti and kshama prarthana: a prayer asking forgiveness for any mistake in the rite.
10. Daan: grain, cloth and other items are given for each graha.
11. Close: prasad and dakshina for the priests.

Classical texts on graha shanti give each graha its own samidha, the wood offered in the havan:

• Surya: arka (aak)
• Chandra: palash
• Mangal: khadira (khair)
• Budh: apamarga
• Guru: peepal (ashvattha)
• Shukra: gular (udumbara)
• Shani: shami
• Rahu: durva
• Ketu: kusha

For daan, families commonly give a grain and a cloth of the graha's colour. Lists differ between regions and priests, so treat this as a guide and follow your priest's list:

• Surya: wheat, red cloth
• Chandra: rice, white cloth
• Mangal: masoor or toor dal, red cloth
• Budh: whole moong, green cloth
• Guru: chana dal, yellow cloth
• Shukra: white beans or rice, white cloth
• Shani: black sesame or urad, black cloth
• Rahu: urad, black or blue cloth
• Ketu: horse gram or sesame, grey or multi-coloured cloth

Give daan within your means. A small, sincere daan is fully in keeping with the tradition.

Share this list with your priest a few days before, since many priests bring some items themselves.

• Ganesh idol or a supari to represent Ganesh
• Kalash, mango leaves, a coconut and mauli
• A cloth for the mandal and nine small cloths in the graha colours
• Navdhanya, the nine grains
• Kumkum, haldi, sandal paste and akshat
• Flowers in several colours, and durva
• Supari, paan leaves, cloves and cardamom
• Fruit and sweets for naivedya
• A ghee lamp, dhoop and camphor
• Havan kund, mango wood, the nine samidha, havan samagri, black sesame, barley and ghee
• Items for daan for each graha
• Dakshina for the priests

At home, the cost varies a lot. It depends on how many priests take part, how many times each graha's mantra is chanted, the samagri and daan, and the priests' dakshina. A Navgrah Shanti with a full jaap count for every graha and several priests costs far more than a short version with one priest. Agree the scope with your priest before the day.

If you want to pray to one graha rather than all nine, a single graha archana is a lighter option. Each takes about 30 minutes, with that graha's mantra chanted 108 times and its traditional offering, such as the Guru Archana on Thursdays with yellow flowers and chana dal. Archanas for Chandra, Mangal, Budh, Shukra, Rahu and Ketu work the same way, and the Surya Archana uses the Aditya Hridayam path with jal arpan. Each costs Rs 299 at the time of writing and includes photo proof and a completion certificate.

If the concern is Saturn in particular, our guide to Shani Sade Sati 2026 explains who it applies to this year.

If you cannot arrange priests at home, you can book Nav Grah Shanti at Sree Vinayak Mandir or Kalkaji Mandir in Delhi. The temple's pandit chants individual mantras for all nine grahas, performs the Nav Grah havan with specific samagri for each planet and gives daan for each graha. It takes about 120 minutes and costs Rs 1,600 at the time of writing.

When you book, enter your name, gotra (optional), date of birth, your prayer for the sankalp and a preferred date. We use the date of birth to work out your nakshatra. You receive photos, a video of the havan and a completion certificate by email, usually within 24 hours. If you cancel before the pooja is performed, you get a full refund.

We perform the general Nav Grah Shanti described here. We do not read kundlis or prescribe a dosha nivaran rite.