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No Evil Eye: Tesla passes the puja protocol in Hyderabad
“No car, including Tesla, can get a five-star safety rating in Indian culture unless a vahan puja is done.”
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Staff Reporter - Tue, 07, Oct 2025
- 00:09 EDT
- 17
Tesla car wearing a marigold garland. / X/@drpraveenkoduru
Elon Musk probably didn’t imagine the Tesla wearing a marigold garland.
Tesla may boast a 0–100 km/h acceleration time that beats sports cars, but in India, the real race begins at the temple.
Before hitting the highway recently, first Tesla Model Y, bought in Hyderabad in the South Indian state of Telangana, made a mandatory pit stop — not for charging, but for blessings.
Hyderabad-based Dr. Praveen Koduru took delivery of his brand-new Tesla Model Y and promptly marked the occasion not with a test drive, but with a Vahan Puja — a customary Indian ritual to bless new vehicles.
He shared photos on X of his red Tesla adorned with a large garland and its wheels marked with kumkum (vermillion). The car stood outside a temple as his family, dressed in festive attire, joined in the ceremony.
He wrote, “No car, including Tesla, can get a five-star safety rating in Indian culture unless a vahan puja is done.”
No car , including Tesla, can get a five star safety rating in Indian culture, unless a vahan Pooja is done @elonmusk @TeslaClubIN @Tesla_India pic.twitter.com/5TxuGQzcPY
— Dr Praveen koduru (@drpraveenkoduru) October 1, 2025
Last month, the doctor had announced his excitement upon receiving the Tesla:
“Thrilled beyond words to finally get my hands on the new Tesla Model Y today. It's the very first one zooming into Hyderabad! This tech-packed beast is a total dream come true. Huge shoutout to @elonmusk for engineering this absolute marvel! Can't wait to hit the road!”
The Vahan Puja — performed when a new vehicle is purchased — is believed to ensure safety, prosperity, and divine protection. The ritual usually includes breaking a coconut, applying vermilion, and adorning the vehicle with flowers or garlands.
Social media users were quick to react.
One said, “The car definitely looks even better in Indian aesthetics.”
Another joked, “In India, Vahan Puja is the ultimate crash test certification.”
And someone added, “Even Tesla isn’t safe without nimbu-mirchi.”
But in India, this belief in divine safety goes beyond cars. In Telangana, a video once went viral showing a helicopter being blessed during Vahan Puja, complete with coconuts and garlands.
Boinpally Srinivas Rao, the proprietor of the Prathima business, bought an Airbus ACH 135 and used it for the "Vahan" puja at the Yadadri temple dedicated to Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy. Costing $5.7M, the opulent helicopter. #Telangana pic.twitter.com/igFHMlEKiY
— Mohd Lateef Babla (@lateefbabla) December 15, 2022
Locals joked that while people buy cars or bikes, “some buy helicopters — but the puja is compulsory.”
Even at the highest levels, the tradition holds strong. In October 2019, then Defence Minister Rajnath Singh performed a Shastra Puja at the Dassault Aviation plant in France while receiving India’s first Rafale jet. He wrote “Om” on the aircraft, placed flowers and a coconut, and put lemons under its wheels to ward off evil.
बिना निंबू और मिर्ची के तो, यहाँ दुकान ही नहीं खुलते:#Rafale और बिना निंबू के https://t.co/bb2yTh9VSh pic.twitter.com/fK6gjG2nhB
— Srinivas శ్రీనివాస్ श्रीनिवास- బాబీ / శీనూ (@AbodeOfLakshmi) October 8, 2019
Interestingly, this concept of blessing vehicles isn’t limited to India. In the Philippines, new car owners take their vehicles to a parish for a priest’s blessing with holy water. In Bolivia, the ritual is called Bendición de Movilidades, where families gather with their vehicles to receive blessings from priests.
As one user aptly summarized, “Whether it’s a scooter, Tesla, helicopter, or fighter jet — the journey always begins with a prayer.”
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