Preparation for puja

Preparation for Daily Puja

1. Removing the flowers of yesterday's puja.


2. Weekly once clean the idols with water and put chandan and kumkum.  If you have picture frame clean  with damp cloth and then with dry cloth and put chandan and kumkum.  Put chandan and kumkum on the lamp also.Usually people lamp clean idols/photo frame and brass, copper utensils or steel and plastic plates on Thursday night.  But can be done on any convenient day.


3. Clean the plates and panchapatra udhrini daily


4. Try to buy flowers in the morning if possible.  Flowers need not be washed. But the leaves – dhurba grass, vilva leaves and tulsi leaves have to be washed and drained as they might have accumulated dust.  Life of flowers are short and some may wither in the evening itself. 


5. In the dhurba grass keep the top three and remove the bottom blades.  Slight bend the top blade then you will find one pointed blade will be there (sometimes it will not be present also). With little pressure pull it out.

   In the third picture remove the straight thin blade.
6. The vilva leaves should be plucked from the twig so that three leaves are intact.  Keep the bottom stem to the minimum.


7. Prepare chandan paste with chandan powder or grind.


8. All flowers do not have smell so the flowers and the leaves are to be dipped in chandan paste or itthar (scent).


9. A small kolam has to be put with rice powder (not stone powder).


10. Prasadam of any kind to be kept ready in plates.


11. Finally light lamp telling the mantra and burn the incense sticks.