Rudrabhishek Puja Vidhi: Samagri List, Home or Temple

Rudrabhishek is an abhishek, a ritual bath, of the Shivling while hymns to Rudra are chanted. Rudra is one of the oldest names of Shiva and appears in the Vedas. The liquid poured over the Shivling can be plain water, or a sequence of water, milk, curd, ghee, honey and sugar, and the chanting continues through the whole abhishek.

Two sets of hymns are commonly used, depending on the region:

• Sri Rudram, also called Namakam and Chamakam, from the Krishna Yajurveda. It is the usual text in South India and among many Vedic reciters elsewhere.
• The Rudrashtadhyayi, chapters drawn from the Shukla Yajurveda, often called the Rudri path. Most priests in North India use this.

At a glance:

• What happens: Shiva abhishek with Rudra hymns, then shringar, bilva, bhog and aarti, and a havan in some forms
• Common days: Mondays, Pradosh, the month of Shravan and Maha Shivratri
• Where: at home with a priest who can chant the hymns, or at a Shiva temple

Devotees perform Rudrabhishek as a prayer for health, peace at home and strength through a hard time, and many do it simply out of love for Shiva. If you are unsure how it differs from an archana or a regular pooja, read our note on archana, abhishek and pooja.

The classic sequence is panchamrit, the five nectars, with plain water or Gangajal offered between each one:

• Water or Gangajal
• Raw milk
• Curd
• Ghee
• Honey
• Sugar or mishri

Sugarcane juice is added in many Rudrabhisheks, and some priests also use coconut water or water mixed with sandal paste.

Why do lists differ? Older texts and family traditions link particular substances with particular prayers, and each priest follows the practice he or she learnt. No single list is agreed by every tradition. If your sankalp has a specific wish, tell the priest and let the priest advise which substances to use. For everyday devotion, water and milk with Om Namah Shivaya is a complete offering.

One practical point: you do not need litres of milk. A small quantity is enough, and many families give the rest to a child or someone in need instead of letting it run into a drain.

This is the common order when a priest performs Rudrabhishek. Home versions are often shorter, and temples follow their own practice.

1. Preparation: bathe, wear clean clothes and sit facing east or north. Place the Shivling in a plate or jaladhari so the liquid can be collected.
2. Ganesh puja: the puja begins with Ganesh. Many priests also worship Gauri, the Navgrah and the kalash at this stage.
3. Sankalp: holding water, akshat and a flower, you say your name, your gotra, the place, the date and the purpose of the puja. If you do not know your gotra, many priests use Kashyap gotra.
4. Kalash sthapana: a pot of water with mango leaves and a coconut is set up and worshipped.
5. Abhishek: the priest recites the Rudri path or Sri Rudram while the liquids are poured in a thin, steady stream, with water between each substance. At home, family members often take turns to pour.
6. Cleaning: the Shivling is washed with clean water and wiped dry.
7. Shringar: sandal paste, bhasma, akshat, a janeu and a piece of cloth, then flowers.
8. Leaves and flowers: bilva patra, dhatura, aak flowers and shami leaves. Many people recite the Shiv Panchakshar Stotram or chant Om Namah Shivaya while offering them.
9. Bhog: fruit, sweets and panchamrit.
10. Aarti: dhoop, a ghee lamp and camphor, followed by a prayer asking forgiveness for any mistake in the puja.
11. Havan: in some forms, a havan follows, with ghee and havan samagri offered into the fire as mantras are chanted.
12. Close: pradakshina, prasad for everyone present, and dakshina for the priest.

If you want to add japa, many devotees chant the Mahamrityunjaya Mantra 108 times on a rudraksha mala after the aarti.

Your priest may add or drop a few items. For the abhishek:

• A Shivling, and a plate or jaladhari to hold it
• A lota or shringi for pouring (brass, silver or copper)
• Gangajal and clean water
• Raw milk, curd, ghee, honey, and sugar or mishri
• Sugarcane juice, if your priest advises it
• A clean cloth to wipe the Shivling

For the puja:

• Sandal paste, bhasma, and white akshat
• Bilva patra, dhatura, aak flowers, shami leaves and white flowers
• Janeu and a small piece of cloth
• Kalash, mango leaves, a coconut and mauli (red thread)
• Kumkum and haldi for Ganesh and the kalash
• Supari, paan leaves, cloves and cardamom
• A ghee lamp, cotton wicks, dhoop and camphor
• Fruit and sweets for bhog
• A rudraksha mala, if you plan to do japa
• An asan to sit on

For the havan, if one is planned:

• Havan kund, mango wood, havan samagri and ghee

Many families avoid pouring milk from a copper vessel and keep the copper lota for water.

Rudrabhishek can be done on any day. These days are traditionally preferred:

• Mondays, the weekday linked with Shiva
• Pradosh, the evening of Trayodashi that comes twice a month (see our Pradosh Vrat dates)
• Masik Shivratri, the Chaturdashi of Krishna Paksha each month
• The month of Shravan, especially its Mondays
• Maha Shivratri

Before fixing a date for a Rudrabhishek done for a specific wish, some priests also check shiv vaas. This is a traditional reckoning, worked out from the tithi, of where Shiva is said to be on that day, and some placements are considered more suitable for the ritual than others. Not every tradition uses it, and it is not something you need for a simple jal abhishek. Ask your priest whether your family's tradition follows it.

Both are accepted. At home you need three things: a Shivling, a priest who can chant the Rudri path or Sri Rudram correctly, and enough space and ventilation if there is a havan. Many families keep only a small Shivling at home. The cost of a home Rudrabhishek varies a lot with the number of priests, how many times the text is recited and the samagri, so agree the details with the priest beforehand.

At a temple the Shivling is already consecrated and the priests perform abhishek regularly. Many Shiva temples take requests for Rudrabhishek; check their timings and rules first.

How long it takes:

• A simple jal abhishek with Om Namah Shivaya: a few minutes
• A Rudrabhishek with one full recitation: usually a couple of hours or more, longer with a havan
• Larger forms, known by names such as Laghu Rudra and Maha Rudra, repeat the recitation many times with several priests and can take a full day or longer

A few customs to keep in mind:

• Offer bilva leaves with all three leaflets intact.
• Tulsi, ketaki flowers, haldi and kumkum are traditionally not offered on the Shivling.
• Walk half-way round the Shivling and turn back, without crossing the channel where the abhishek water flows out.

And a simple jal abhishek with Om Namah Shivaya is always fine for personal devotion, at home or at any Shiva temple. You do not need a priest for that.

If you cannot arrange a priest at home, you can book a Rudrabhishek at Sree Vinayak Mandir or CP Hanuman Ji Mandir in Delhi. The temple's pandit chants the Rudra mantra 1,100 times, performs a panchamrit abhishek of the Shivling, offers bilva patra and completes a havan. It takes about 90 minutes and costs Rs 400 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, such as a Monday or a Pradosh. You receive photos, a video of the abhishek and a completion certificate by email, usually within 24 hours. Prasad can be delivered to your address if you add it when you book (₹250 within India at the time of writing). If you cancel before the pooja is performed, you get a full refund.

If you would rather offer something at a Jyotirlinga, a famous-temple archana at Kashi Vishwanath or Mahakaleshwar, Ujjain costs Rs 1,999 at the time of writing. A pandit there speaks your sankalp before the deity and offers flowers and prasad in your name, and we send you photo proof. That prasad is offered at the temple and distributed there. It is an archana at that temple, not a Rudrabhishek.