Puja Coconut
April 20, 2007
This image shows the beginning of a Shiva Puja with the lingam on the left and on the right a kalasha pot with coconut on top. All traditional yagyas begin with a Ganesha puja followed by kalasha puja. The kalasha puja honors the seven sacred rivers of India and invokes the god of water, Varuna to bless and purifies the water within by converting it to Ganga water.
The green leaves are traditionally mango leaves and both the coconut and lingam are decorated with dots of sandal powder and red kumkum as a traditional symbol of purity.