Vishwakarma Puja Itemsविश्वकर्मा पूजा सामग्री

Once you have decided to perform Vishwakarma Puja at home or at your workplace, the next step is to gather the puja items, known as samagri. Buying the items that keep a few days ahead, and the fresh ones the day before, avoids a last-minute rush. Everything below is available at a local puja store, and many shops sell ready-made puja kits around the festival. The quantities are a guide for a typical puja; adjust them to the size of your gathering, and follow your priest's list or your family's custom where it differs, as practice varies from region to region.

For when and how to arrange these items, and how to clean the workplace and tools, see Vishwakarma Puja preparation.

Items for the altar

• Picture or idol of Lord Vishwakarma (1). In Bengal and eastern India, clay idols are popular for workplace pujas.
• Wooden chowki or low table (1)
• Clean yellow or red cloth to cover the chowki (1)
• Asan (mat) to sit on, one for each person performing the puja
• Rangoli colours or rice flour for a rangoli or alpana (optional)
• Mango leaves or marigold garlands for a toran over the door

Items for the kalash

• Kalash or lota, preferably copper or brass (1)
• Clean water, with a little Ganga jal if available
• Mango leaves (5, or a small bunch)
• Coconut (1), with a red cloth or chunri to wrap it
• A coin, a betel nut, a little haldi and akshat to place in the kalash
• Mauli (sacred red thread), 1 roll

Items for worship

• Roli and kumkum (1 packet each)
• Haldi (turmeric powder), 1 small bowl
• Chandan (sandalwood paste or powder), 1 small bowl
• Akshat (unbroken raw rice), 1 small bowl
• Sindoor and abir or gulal, a little of each
• Loose flowers and garlands, enough for the deity and for every tool and machine
• Durva grass, for Ganesh puja
• Betel leaves (paan), about 11
• Betel nuts (supari), about 11
• Janeu (sacred thread) or a small piece of cloth offered as vastra
• Coins or money for dakshina

Items for the lamp and aarti

• Diya (lamp), brass or clay (1 or more)
• Cotton wicks (1 packet)
• Pure ghee, about 250 grams
• Incense sticks and dhoop (1 packet each)
• Camphor (1 packet)
• Bell (1)
• Puja thali (plate), small bowls and a small spoon
• Matchbox

Items for naivedya and prasad

• Panchamrit: milk, curd, ghee, honey and sugar
• Seasonal fruits, such as bananas, apples and guavas
• Sweets such as peda, laddoo or boondi, about 1 kilogram for a small gathering
• Batasha, jaggery or sugar crystals
• Dry fruits (optional)
• Ingredients for any cooked prasad, such as kheer or khichdi. See Vishwakarma Puja prasad preparation.
• Leaf plates (pattal) and leaf bowls (dona) for distributing prasad

For the tools and machines

• The tools, machines, vehicles or equipment to be worshipped, cleaned beforehand
• A clean cloth on which to arrange small tools near the altar
• Extra roli or sindoor for tilak, extra flowers and akshat
• Mauli to tie on tools and machine handles, if that is your custom

Other useful items

• A copy of the Vishwakarma Puja katha and the Vishwakarma aarti
• A small vessel of water and a spoon for achaman
• A clean cloth to wipe hands and vessels
• Water or a fire extinguisher kept near the lamp, especially in a workshop

Items for an elaborate puja

When a priest performs a full Vedic puja, he may also ask for items such as panchgavya, sarvaushadhi (a mix of sacred herbs), saptamrittika (soil from seven places), saptadhanya (seven grains), bael fruit and tulsi leaves. These are usually supplied by the priest or a puja store as ready packets, so ask the priest in advance what he will bring.

Items for havan (optional)

Many workplaces and some families include a small havan. If you plan one, you will also need:

• Havan kund (1)
• Large spoon for offering ghee (1)
• Pure ghee, about 250 grams extra
• Dry mango wood, about 15 to 20 pieces
• Cow dung cakes, 4 or 5
• Havan samagri (ready mix), 1 packet
• Black and white sesame seeds, 1 small bowl each
• Barley (jau), 1 small bowl
• Puffed or roasted paddy, 1 small bowl
• Dry fruits such as almonds, cashews and raisins, about 50 grams each
• Whole turmeric, cardamom and dried amla, about 50 grams each
• Coconuts for the final offering (purnahuti), 1 or more
• Betel leaves and betel nuts, a few extra

Frequently asked questions