Holi — Holika Dahan

• Dry wood, twigs, and dried cow-dung beads
• Raw cotton thread (mauli)
• Akshat (unbroken rice), turmeric, kumkum
• Fresh flowers
• Whole coconut
• Batasha (sugar drops) and jaggery
• Raw grains — wheat ears, moong, gram
• Diya, ghee, agarbatti
• A small bowl of water for purification

1. 1Build a small pyramid of wood, twigs, and dried cow-dung patties in an open space — traditionally done by the community.
2. 2Bathe and wear clean (preferably new) clothes.
3. 3Sit facing east or north before the unlit pyre.
4. 4Purify yourself and the puja samagri by sprinkling water while chanting Om Pundarikakshah Punatu three times.
5. 5Wrap raw cotton mauli thread around the wood pile three or seven times in the clockwise direction.
6. 6Offer flowers, akshat, haldi-kumkum, and grains (wheat, gram, moong) to the pile.
7. 7Add a coconut, batasha (sugar drops), and jaggery to be offered into the bonfire.
8. 8Light the Holika pyre at the prescribed muhurat — after sunset on Purnima, once the Bhadra tithi has passed.
9. 9Circumambulate (parikrama) the burning Holika four or seven times in the clockwise direction.
10. 10Offer prayers to Lord Vishnu and Lord Narasimha, who protected the devotee Prahlad in this story.
11. 11Roast newly harvested grains (wheat ears, gram) in the fire — eat them as prasad.
12. 12The next morning, smear a little ash from the Holika onto the forehead, then play Rangwali Holi with colours.

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