Housewarming Gifts: Handcrafted Griha Pravesh Gift Ideas for Indian Homes

An invitation to a griha pravesh has arrived, the date is fixed, and now you need a gift. Two worries come with it: you are not sure what suits a new home, and you do not want to arrive with something the family already has or something that clashes with their décor. A griha pravesh is a Hindu housewarming ceremony performed when moving into a new home, so the right gift fits the day as well as the house. This guide from My E-Haat sorts griha pravesh gift ideas and housewarming gifts by use (the puja corner, the kitchen, the walls and natural-fibre pieces), then by budget from ₹99, and ends with what not to gift.

Quick answer

Good housewarming gifts are pieces the family will use or keep on display in the new home, and on My E-Haat handmade options start at ₹99.

• For the puja corner at a griha pravesh: a glazed Khurja Ceramic Diya (₹99), or one of the brass tea light holders at ₹350, such as the Hammered Flower Brass Tea Light Holder.

• For the kitchen, a hand-painted Pattachitra Masala Box (₹1,000).

• A small Madhubani painting for the walls, such as the Elephant Madhubani Painting - Small (₹900).

• In natural fibre, the Wheatgrass Round Tray (₹1,079).

• As a keepsake, a parchin kari Marble Inlay Elephant (₹700).

Before you pick, a few quick checks help you avoid a clash or a repeat.

How do you choose a griha pravesh gift that won't clash or repeat?

A griha pravesh gift that won't clash is small, useful or easy to place: a piece for the puja corner, the dining table or a single shelf, rather than large furniture or bold room décor. A thoughtful gift for a new home fits what the family already has, and these checks help before you look at housewarming gift ideas.

• Ask the family, or a relative close to them, what the new home already has. One question can save a repeat.

• Pick something used every day over a large décor piece. Useful housewarming gifts for the table or the puja corner get used daily.

• Choose neutral tones such as golden grass, brass or white when you have not seen the home yet.

• Go small. A set of coasters or a tray fits any home, while a large wall piece may not.

• Keep the bill. On My E-Haat a return request has to be made within 2 calendar days from the date of delivery, so asking the family first works better than planning to swap a repeat later.

With those checks done, start with the pieces that belong in the puja corner and at the entrance.

Auspicious griha pravesh gifts: diyas, brass and pieces for the puja corner

Griha pravesh gifts that suit the occasion are pieces that belong in the puja corner or at the entrance of the new home: diyas, brass tea light holders and Dhokra brass pieces. They sit close to the ceremony itself, where nothing has to be guessed about their use.

At a griha pravesh, a kalash filled with rice, coins and other offerings is placed at the entrance of the new home, and a Ganesha puja is part of the day, since in Hinduism it is performed before any important event or ceremony. Gifts for the puja corner sit alongside these customs, so they are an easy way to bring something auspicious without guessing at meanings. If you are weighing up the best gifts for housewarming ceremony visits, a lamp the family can light again and again is a good place to start. Each of these griha pravesh gift ideas comes with its maker or place and its price, so you can compare gifts for housewarming ceremony days quickly.

Khurja Ceramic Diya

This diya is made for a puja shelf. Its teardrop spout cups a wick, so the family can use it with oil and a cotton batti or with a tealight, then wipe it clean to use again. Access makes it from ceramic that is thrown, glazed in bright colour and kiln-fired. Khurja pottery from Uttar Pradesh carries a GI tag.

Price: ₹99, in the home decor collection.

Round Diya and Star Diya from Studio Moya

Both are West Bengal terracotta pots poured with wax, so each one lights like a candle and suits a puja shelf. The Star Diya is set with real pressed flowers. When the wax is spent, the painted pot can stay on as a tiny dish.

Price: ₹299 each, in the home decor collection.

Brass tea light holders

A small holder suits a family that likes to keep a light burning near the puja corner. The Hammered Flower Brass Tea Light Holder, like the Hexagon and Hammered Round designs, starts as a flat sheet of brass that is cut by hand, then filed and burnished. A light patina is normal and polishes back.

Price: ₹350 each, in the brass metal craft collection.

The taller Brass T-light holder is handcrafted in Sambhal, with a Christmas tree cutwork pierced straight through the metal. It measures six inches, a good size for a shelf by the entrance.

Price: ₹699, in the brass metal craft collection.

Brass and Dhokra pieces from Trifed

For a guest who wants a heavier brass piece, Trifed pieces suit the puja corner. Dhokra, also spelt Dokra, is cast by the lost-wax method using brass, bronze or copper, and the Brass Pot is made this way. The Brass Diya has a shallow well for oil or ghee, drawn to a pinched lip where the cotton wick rests. The Brass Sitting Cow is a seated Kamadhenu cast in brass, 10.5 inches across, from the Kolkata region of West Bengal and made for a puja shelf.

Price: on enquiry through each product page, in the home decor collection.

A parchin kari elephant from Agra

The Marble Inlay Elephant is made for a puja shelf. Karigars in Agra shape it and inlay it by hand with semi-precious stone, in the Agra craft of parchin kari.

Price: ₹700 for the smaller size and ₹900 for the larger one, in the home decor collection.

Peacock Handpainted Tholu T-light

Made from treated leather in the Tholu Bommalata tradition through Studio Moya, this lamp is lit with a tealight. Leather puppetry is a listed craft of Andhra Pradesh. A Fish Handpainted Tholu T-light is also available.

Price: ₹995, in the home decor collection.

After the puja corner comes the room a new home uses every day: the kitchen and the dining table.

Useful housewarming gifts for the kitchen and dining table

Useful housewarming gifts are things the family will use at every meal: a hand-painted masala box, a wheat grass roti basket, table mats, coasters and brass napkin holders. Kitchen housewarming gifts also solve the clash worry, because they go into a cupboard or onto the dining table rather than onto a wall.

One tip before you give a container: many families follow a Vastu belief that an empty container is a sign of emptiness, so fill a masala box or roti basket with spices, dry fruit or sweets first.

Pattachitra Masala Box

A masala dabba is used in daily cooking, which makes it an easy pick for a family that cooks at home. This one is a steel masala dabba with seven inner cups, and its lid is hand-painted by Apindra Swain in the Pattachitra tradition of Odisha.

Price: ₹1,000, in the kitchen and dining collection.

Wheatgrass Casserole and trays

The Wheatgrass Casserole is a round roti basket with a fitted lid, coiled from wheat straw by karigars in Hardoi, Uttar Pradesh. For serving, the Wheatgrass Round Tray is coiled from wheat straw by the Samuday Crafts cluster in Hardoi and finished with a pale blue crochet edging. A Wheatgrass Oval Tray is also available.

Price: Wheatgrass Casserole ₹959; Wheatgrass Round Tray ₹1,079; Wheatgrass Oval Tray ₹1,319 or ₹1,439, all in the wheat grass collection.

Chikankari and taat table mats

The Chikankari Table Mat is made through the HCL Samuday self help groups in Hardoi district, in colours including White and Lime. Hand wash it separately and keep chlorine bleach away. The Chikankari Jute Table Mat suits a dry setting, since jute takes a stain. The Taat Table Mat is a 12 x 17.5 inch placemat woven by Samuday Crafts women artisans in Hardoi, and it is sold as a single mat, so buy as many as the table seats.

Price: Chikankari Table Mat ₹479; Chikankari Jute Table Mat ₹359; Taat Table Mat ₹1,439; Taat Coasters ₹479, in the kitchen and dining collection.

Table runners in Bagru print and paisley

The Triangle Table Runner is cotton, block printed by Access with hand-carved wooden blocks in the triangle motif of Bagru, the printing village near Jaipur. The Paisley Table Runner comes in Purple and White.

Price: Triangle Table Runner ₹949; Paisley Table Runner ₹1,439 (Purple) or ₹1,799 (White), in the kitchen and dining collection.

Coasters in paint, lacquer, crochet and brass

Coasters are a small gift that fits any table. The Madhubani Coasters are from the Prayatna collective. Madhubani painting itself comes from Madhubani district in the Mithila region of Bihar. The Madhubani Motifs Hand-painted On Wood Round Coasters carry the same style on wood. The Ethnic Motifs Channapatna Hand-painted Coasters come from the lacquerware craft of Channapatna in Karnataka's Ramanagara district, and each one is food-safe. Yellow Crochet Coasters come as a pair. The Fern Brass Coasters are made in brass workshops in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, and come in Hexagon, Etched Square and Ginkgo designs too.

Price: Madhubani Coasters ₹359 (other designs ₹599); Madhubani Motifs Hand-painted On Wood Round Coasters ₹899; Ethnic Motifs Channapatna Hand-painted Coasters ₹995; Yellow Crochet Coasters ₹749; Fern Brass Coasters ₹750, in the kitchen and dining collection.

Lotus Brass Napkin Holder and Pattachitra Tissue Box

Two small pieces for the dining table. The Lotus Brass Napkin Holder is pierced flat, then bent and brushed by metalworkers in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh. The Pattachitra Tissue Box is hand-painted by the Chitrakars of Raghurajpur.

Price: Lotus Brass Napkin Holder ₹650 (other designs ₹650); Pattachitra Tissue Box ₹899, in the kitchen and dining collection.

From the table, move to the walls, where art has to sit well in any home.

Wall art and décor that suits any home

Wall art for a new home is easiest to get right in small, single-panel pieces that fit a shelf side, a passage or a puja corner: hand-painted Madhubani and Pattachitra paintings, painted marble wall hangings and a Madhubani photo frame. Small paintings make easy housewarming gifts for friends whose home you have not seen yet, and they work as housewarming gifts for couples who are still settling their décor.

Small Madhubani paintings by Prayatna

The women artisans of Prayatna in Madhubani district, Bihar, paint the Elephant Madhubani Painting - Small freehand on handmade paper. The Fish Madhubani Painting comes in the same small format, which suits a desk, a shelf edge or a narrow stretch of wall. A Peacock Mandala Madhubani Painting - Small is also available. Larger Prayatna paintings of peacocks, elephants and fish suit a wall you already know.

Price: ₹900 each for the small paintings; ₹1,500 to ₹2,000 for the larger ones, in the home decor collection.

Pattachitra paintings from Odisha

Pattachitra comes from Odisha. The Majestic Royal Pattachitra Painting is a small piece. The Village Pattachitra Painting shows village life rather than the gods, in natural pigment on a treated cloth patta. For a larger budget, there is the Pattachitra Tree Of Life Painting.

Price: Majestic Royal Pattachitra Painting ₹1,300; Village Pattachitra Painting ₹1,500; Pattachitra Tree Of Life Painting ₹5,500, in the home decor collection.

Handpainted Marble Wall Hanging

Artisan groups in Uttar Pradesh paint these marble hangings, made with INTACH, the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage. The small size fits beside a door or in a puja corner.

Price: ₹900 (Small) or ₹1,200 (Large), in the home decor collection.

Madhubani Border Frame

This is a painted mount board with no outer frame, ready for the family's own photo or a small mirror, so it becomes personal once they fill it.

Price: ₹2,279, in the home decor collection.

Marble keepsakes

The Elephant Marble Jewellery Box is worked in parchin kari, the Agra inlay tradition, by Intach. The Handpainted Marble Jewellery Box carries meenakari work and is lined well for rings and studs. For a bigger gift, there is the Marble Inlay Decorative Plate.

Price: Elephant Marble Jewellery Box ₹750; Handpainted Marble Jewellery Box ₹800; Marble Inlay Decorative Plate ₹4,500, in the home decor collection.

Dokra Painting Frame

Intach makes this piece by casting a brass and bell-metal alloy and setting it into a wall frame. It works where the family wants one brass piece on a wall rather than a painting.

Price: ₹3,200, in the home decor collection.

Kathakali painting

This is a large feature piece, about 32 by 22 inches, made in the leather puppetry tradition of Andhra Pradesh at Nimmalakunta in Anantapur district. Choose it only for a home whose walls you know.

Price: ₹1,499, in the home decor collection.

If the home leans natural, pieces made from grass and plant fibre may suit it better.

Natural-fibre picks: wheat grass, sabai grass, jute and taat

Natural-fibre housewarming gifts are coiled or woven by hand from grass and plant fibre: a wheat grass planter, trinket bowls, trays and coasters from Hardoi, a Sabai grass hamper basket from Odisha, and jute and taat mats. Among housewarming gifts India's artisans make, these come from plants rather than metal, clay or paint.

Wheat Grass Planter

The store does not sell plants, so pair this planter with a plant you buy locally. Many families avoid thorny and miniature plants, so pick a leafy one. The planter is coiled entirely by hand from natural dried grass. Slip a small plastic liner or an inner pot inside before you water.

Price: ₹959, in the wheat grass collection.

Wheatgrass Trinket Bowl, table mat and coasters

The Wheatgrass Trinket Bowl, in Yellow or Blue, is coiled from wheat straw by the Samuday Crafts cluster in Hardoi, Uttar Pradesh. The Wheat Grass Table Mat is a 12-inch round, hand-coiled from dried wheat grass by women artisans in Hardoi, and it is a plastic-free natural fibre piece with no dyes: its golden and dark brown tones come from the grass itself. Wheat Grass Coasters come from Samuday Crafts too.

Price: Wheatgrass Trinket Bowl ₹479; Wheat Grass Table Mat ₹539; Wheat Grass Coasters ₹539, in the wheat grass collection.

Round Hamper Basket with Handle and Jhoomar Edit

The Round Hamper Basket with Handle is coiled by hand from wild Sabai grass, which grows along the forest fringes of Mayurbhanj, Odisha. You can fill it with fruit or sweets before you give it. The Jhoomar Edit is a handcrafted wheat grass hamper.

Price: Round Hamper Basket with Handle ₹1,439; Jhoomar Edit ₹3,400, in the wheat grass collection.

Jute, taat and cotton mats

The Chikankari Jute Table Mat suits a dry table setting. Taat Coasters pair with the Taat Table Mat. For the floor, the Moroccan Tiles Floor Mat is a flat-weave cotton floor mat by Vmm, and the Paisley Floor Mat is block printed in the Kalamkari tradition.

Price: Chikankari Jute Table Mat ₹359; Taat Coasters ₹479; Moroccan Tiles Floor Mat ₹599; Paisley Floor Mat ₹1,049, in the home decor collection.

With the kinds of gifts covered, here are the same ideas sorted by what you want to spend.

Housewarming gifts by budget

Housewarming gifts on My E-Haat range in price from ₹99 for a Khurja diya to ₹5,500 for a Pattachitra Tree of Life painting. If you are looking for housewarming gifts under 500, start with the first row; housewarming gifts under ₹1000 fill the second row; and for housewarming gifts upto 5000, the last two rows go up to ₹5,500.

The Star Diffuser is made in Khurja, shaped and finished by hand. The Heritage Box holds brass décor from Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, packed in a natural fibre box. Orders of ₹1,499 and above get free standard shipping within India; below that, shipping is a flat ₹99.

Whatever your budget, a few gifts are better left out.

What not to gift for a housewarming

Many families prefer not to receive gifts that Vastu and Feng Shui beliefs link with bad luck or emptiness: knives and sharp objects, anything black, empty containers or wallets, wall clocks and thorny plants. Knowing what not to gift for a housewarming saves an awkward moment at the griha pravesh.

• Kitchen knives and other objects with sharp edges, which, according to Vastu and Feng Shui, can bring bad luck to the person who receives them.

• Anything in black, clothes included. In these beliefs black stands for death and mourning.

• An empty wallet or empty kitchen containers, seen as a sign of emptiness.

• Wall clocks. In Feng Shui, clocks stand for time running out.

• Thorny plants, and miniature plants, which are said to signify restricted growth.

• Artificial flowers.

• Paintings that show pain or violence.

• An aquarium.

None of these is a rule, and families differ, but keeping them out of your housewarming gifts removes the doubt. If you give a container such as a masala box, a basket or a bowl, put something in it before you hand it over.

That leaves the questions guests still ask before they buy.

Frequently asked questions

What are some good gift ideas for Griha Pravesh?

Good griha pravesh gift ideas are pieces for the puja corner, kitchen, walls or natural-fibre décor. A Khurja Ceramic Diya costs ₹99, a Wheatgrass Trinket Bowl ₹479, a small Madhubani painting ₹900 and a Pattachitra Masala Box ₹1,000. No single piece is the best gift for griha pravesh for every family. Pick the kind of piece the family will use, then the price that suits you.

What to gift for house warming in India?

For a house warming in India, choose a gift that suits the griha pravesh and the new home: a diya or a brass tea light holder for the puja corner, a kitchen piece, or small hand-painted art. Skip sharp objects and anything black, which many families avoid. If you want housewarming gifts India's artisans make by hand, the Khurja Ceramic Diya (₹99) and the Hammered Flower Brass Tea Light Holder (₹350) are simple places to start.

What is a thoughtful or unique gift for a new home?

A thoughtful gift for a new home is something made by hand that the family can use or display, with a maker and a place behind it. The Pattachitra Masala Box (₹1,000) has a lid hand-painted in Odisha, and the Wheatgrass Casserole (₹959) is a roti basket coiled from wheat straw in Hardoi. That story behind the piece is what makes it a unique gift for a new home.

What is a good housewarming gift to buy?

A good housewarming gift is useful, easy to place and within your budget. Under ₹500, the Hexagon Brass Tea Light Holder costs ₹350. Around ₹1,000, the Pattachitra Masala Box gives the kitchen a hand-painted steel masala dabba. For a bigger budget, the Dokra Painting Frame (₹3,200) sets cast brass and bell metal into a wall frame. Sort housewarming gift ideas by how the family will use them, then by price.

What housewarming gift suits a couple or a family?

For a couple or a family moving in, choose pieces the whole household uses. A Chikankari Table Mat (₹479) or a Taat Table Mat (₹1,439, sold as a single mat) suits the dining table, the Wheatgrass Round Tray (₹1,079) serves guests, and the Triangle Table Runner (₹949) carries the Bagru triangle motif. Shared pieces like these answer both housewarming gifts for couples and housewarming gifts ideas for family.

How early should I order a housewarming gift online?

Order a housewarming gift from My E-Haat with dispatch and delivery both in mind. In-stock items dispatch within 3 to 7 working days, and delivery takes 3 to 7 working days to metro and major cities and 5 to 15 working days elsewhere. Made-to-order items dispatch within 7 to 15 working days, or as the product page states. Add the two windows, and allow extra time for festive season load. My E-Haat ships housewarming gifts only within India.

Choosing your gift

For your housewarming gifts, decide on the use first (the puja corner, the kitchen or the walls), then look through the home decor collection on My E-Haat, which holds Khurja and terracotta diyas, brass tea light holders, Dhokra brass pieces, Madhubani and Pattachitra paintings, parchin kari marble pieces, leather puppetry lamps, and wheat grass trays and table mats. These come from partner groups such as Prayatna, Studio Moya, Samuday Crafts, Intach and Trifed, brought together by My E-Haat, an initiative by HCLFoundation.