Panchopachar are the five items used in a simple puja in Hinduism. Panchopchar Puja Vidhi with mantra is given below. Some people also consider it as the five steps to worship their personal deity. Panchopachar, or the five items, used in Hindu puja are rice, incense, lamp, flowers and food. In some regions rice is mixed with turmeric and offered to the deity.
The Panchopachar items are:
- Akshat, or Akshata, or rice
- Dhoop or incense
- Diya, or deep, or lamp or light
- Pushpa or flowers
- Naivedhya or Naivedh, usually sweet or fruits or a simple rice preparation.
Panchopchar Puja Vidhi
When to Perform?
The puja should be performing in the morning or during pradosh period (starting 1.5 hours before sunset) or duirng the evening puja period.
Initial Preparation
Clean the house or area of puja.
Then one has to take bath and purify.
Offer prayers to Ganesha
The deity to which puja is offered should be placed.
If you keep kalash then fill water, put a coin, rice and til inside. Close the mouth of kalash with mango leaves and coconut. (this is optional)
- Light lamp using cow ghee (you can opt for oil too). One wick is preferred.
- Dhoop or incense should be offered.
- Akshat rice and chandan, sindhoor or bhasma should be offered.
- Flowers
- Small sweet or fruit.
- Say your prayers
- Sit in meditation. Chant or read prayers.
Panchopchar Mantra
The mantra of the deity that is offered puja should be chanted.
Like for Shiva it is "Om Namah Shivaya."
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