Holika Dahan Puja Vidhi · होलिका दहन पूजा विधि

How the Holika puja is done on the eve of Holi: the samagri, winding raw thread around Holika while circling it, and offering ears of the new grain to the fire.

How the puja is done

When

Holika Dahan is on the evening of Phalguna Purnima, the night before Holi, after sunset and avoiding Bhadra; see the Holika Dahan page for the date and time.

Samagri

A lota of water
Roli, akshat, flowers or a garland, haldi and gulal
Raw cotton thread (kachcha soot or mauli)
Gur (jaggery), batashe, a coconut
Ears of the new crop: wheat, barley or gram
Cow-dung cakes (upla), which are also part of the Holika pile

The puja

Remember Vishnu and his devotee Prahlad.
Sprinkle water and offer roli, akshat and flowers to Holika.
Walk around Holika, three, five or seven times as your family does, winding the raw thread around it as you go.
Offer the coconut, gur, batashe and the rest of the samagri, and pour water from the lota.

At the fire

When Holika is lit, offer the ears of the new grain to the fire.

What not to burn

Use dry wood and cow-dung cakes only. Do not cut green trees for Holika, and do not put plastic, rubbish or old clothes in the fire.

These steps are written in our own words; each appears in at least two of the published sources linked below, and steps found in only one source are left out. Puja customs differ by family, region and tradition; your family priest or family custom comes first.

About this text

Holika Dahan recalls the story of Prahlad, the boy devoted to Vishnu, whose aunt Holika sat with him in a fire to kill him: she burned and Prahlad was saved. The bonfire on the night before Holi marks the victory of devotion over evil, and is also when the first grain of the new harvest is offered. This page gives the puja as the published guides listed below describe it. Customs differ by region and community: follow your family's way where it differs.