Samagri (Materials Needed)
गोबर के उपले, लकड़ी (होलिका हेतु) रोली, चावल, हल्दी कच्चा सूत (धागा) फूल, नारियल गेहूं की बालियां/जौ गुड़, मिठाई जल से भरा कलश हल्दी-चावल का मिश्रण
Cow-dung cakes, wood (for the Holika bonfire) Roli, rice, turmeric Raw cotton thread Flowers, coconut Wheat ears/barley stalks Jaggery, sweets Water-filled kalash Turmeric-rice mixture
Step-by-Step Vidhi
1. On Holika Dahan evening (Phalguna Purnima), gather wood and cow-dung cakes at the designated site and build the bonfire pyre, symbolically representing Holika. 2. Before lighting, perform a small puja: circumambulate (parikrama) the pyre 3 or 7 times, tying raw cotton thread around it, offering roli, rice, flowers, and pouring water from the kalash around its base. 3. Offer new grain (wheat ears or barley) and coconut into the fire once lit, praying for the destruction of negativity (as Holika, despite her boon, was destroyed while devotee Prahlad was protected). 4. The next morning, apply the cooled ash (bhabhoot) as a tilak for protection, then celebrate Rangwali Holi by playing with colors (gulal) with family and friends.
Auspicious Timing & Mantras
Holika Dahan is performed at night during the Purnima tithi in the Pradosh period, at a muhurat that avoids Bhadra Kaal (an inauspicious period). Believed to burn away negativity and evil, symbolizing the triumph of devotion (Prahlad) over arrogance (Holika/Hiranyakashipu).