Tulsi Vivah Puja Vidhi · तुलसी विवाह पूजा विधि

When

Tulsi Vivah is done in Kartik, when Vishnu wakes from his four months of sleep on Dev Uthani Ekadashi. Many families hold it on the Ekadashi itself and many on the Dwadashi, the next day, in the evening; see the Dev Uthani Ekadashi page for the date.

Samagri

• The tulsi plant in its pot, and a Shaligram stone (or a picture of Vishnu)
• Sugarcane stalks for the mandap
• A red chunari and things of suhaag (bangles, bindi, sindoor) for Tulsi
• Haldi, kumkum, roli, chandan, akshat, flowers, a ghee lamp, fruits and sweets

Setting up

• Clean the place and decorate it with flowers and rangoli.
• Make a mandap of sugarcane over the tulsi pot.
• Place the Shaligram beside the tulsi, in the pot or on a chowki next to it, with a kalash of water.

The wedding puja

• Sprinkle Ganga jal on Tulsi and Shaligram, light the ghee lamp, and mark both with roli and chandan.
• Many apply haldi to both, as at a wedding.
• Dress Tulsi in the red chunari and offer her the things of suhaag.
• Offer flowers, fruits and sweets to both.
• Take the Shaligram in your hands and walk around the tulsi, as the couple's circling at a wedding.
• Do the aarti.

Customs

• The family member who does the kanyadaan (giving away the bride) keeps a fast until the wedding.

Tulsi Vivah is the ceremonial wedding of the tulsi (holy basil) plant, worshipped as the goddess Tulsi, to Vishnu in the form of the Shaligram stone. It is held at the start of Kartik's wedding season, when Vishnu wakes on Dev Uthani Ekadashi, and families celebrate it like a daughter's wedding. This page gives the home rite as the published guides listed below describe it. Customs differ by region and community: follow your family's way where it differs.