General Puja Samagri

The list

Samagri (= materials) means the things you gather for a puja. A simple home puja needs only a few of the items below, and families add or leave out items. Follow your family's list or your priest's if you have one.

• A picture or murti (= statue) of the deity, on a clean cloth or small seat.
• A plate (thali) and small bowls for the offerings.
• A lamp (diya), ghee or oil, cotton wicks and matches.
• Incense sticks or dhoop (= thicker incense), and camphor for the closing aarti.
• Fresh flowers. Tulsi (holy basil) leaves are offered in the worship of Vishnu and Krishna.
• Kumkum (= red powder), haldi (= turmeric), sandalwood paste and akshat (= whole, unbroken rice). Sindoor is used mainly in worship of the Goddess.
• Clean water in a small pot (kalash) with a spoon, and Gangajal (= water from the Ganga) if you have it.
• Panchamrit (= five nectars: milk, curd, honey, ghee and sugar) if you bathe the murti.
• Fruit, sweets or dry fruit as naivedya (= food offered to the deity).
• A bell, and a red thread (mauli).

Preparation

Bathe and put on clean clothes. Put kumkum, haldi, sandalwood and akshat in separate small bowls. Wash the fruit and keep the sweets covered, since many families do not taste the food until it has been offered. Fill the kalash with fresh water and keep the flowers in water until you begin.

Lay everything within reach before you sit down. Light the lamp first.

Substitutes

Do not put off a puja because one item is missing. Most families and priests agree that sincerity matters more than a complete list.

• Ghee: plain sesame oil or another plain vegetable oil.
• Flowers: dried flowers or loose petals are accepted for routine worship, and fresh ones are preferred on festivals.
• Any missing item: offer a few grains of akshat in its place and name the item. Many families do this.
• Gangajal: clean fresh water with a short prayer.
• Kalash: copper, brass or clay is traditional. Many families use a clean steel pot if nothing else is at hand.
• Open flame: where the building does not allow it, use an LED diya.

Where to buy in the USA

• Indian grocery: ask for puja samagri, agarbatti (incense), kapur (camphor), batti (cotton wicks), kumkum or roli, supari (betel nut), paan (betel leaves), nariyal (coconut), mauli and bottled Gangajal.
• Temple shop: many temples sell sealed puja kits. Ask the temple office, especially before a festival.
• Ordinary supermarket: fruit, coconut, milk, yogurt, honey, sugar, rice, turmeric, cut flowers, tea lights, cotton wool for rolling your own wicks, and ghee, often in the international aisle.
• Online: Indian grocers that ship across the country, and shops that sell puja kits and brass or copper ware. Order early before Diwali and Navratri.
• Safety: US health officials have warned that some imported sindoor and kumkum contained unsafe levels of lead. Buy from a shop that prints the ingredients, and keep powders and camphor away from small children and pets.