Starting a vedic fire (part 2)
October 25, 2007
The tool itself is very simple. The shaft rotates as you pull back and forth on the rope which is wound around it. The block of hardwood at the bottom has a hole worn into it through repeated use. Interestingly, it takes a long time to get the wood heated up to the point that it will burn! This takes work…and about 5 minutes of vigorous pulling.
Interestingly, the goal is to wear away the hardwood so that there is a small pile of burning sawdust inside the hole which is then dumped
on top of a pile of cotton, coconut husks, and leaves. It catches fire surprisingly quickly and stays burning slowly while the pujas for the homa kund (fire pit) is performed.
