Indian Flowers for Pooja: A Practical Guide

Flowers are one of the simplest and oldest offerings in Hindu worship. A few blossoms placed before a deity, a string of jasmine draped over a picture, a handful of petals offered with a mantra: each is a way of offering something beautiful and fragrant. This guide walks through the flowers and leaves most often used for home pooja in Indian households, especially South Indian ones, and how to choose them.

Traditions differ from region to region and family to family. If your family has its own practice, follow it. Use this page as a friendly starting point, not a rulebook.

Flower strings

Strings of tightly tied buds are a staple of South Indian pooja. They are draped over deity pictures and murtis, wound around a kalasam, and worn in the hair on festival days and at temple visits.

  • Jasmine (malli, mallige, mogra) is the classic. The buds open through the evening and fill a room with fragrance. Read more in our jasmine flowers guide.
  • Mullai is a slender, delicate jasmine with a lighter scent, much loved in Tamil homes.
  • Other strings, such as kanakambaram (orange crossandra) and marigold, add color. We list them in flower strings when we have them.

Strings are usually sold by length. A 6 ft string is a handy size: enough to garland a medium-sized picture frame, or to cut into shorter pieces for several pictures and for hair.

Loose flowers for archana and decoration

Loose flowers are used for archana (offering flowers one at a time while reciting names of the deity), for filling a plate during aarti, and for decorating the shrine.

  • Lotus (thamarai, kamal) is closely associated with Goddess Lakshmi and Goddess Saraswati, and is a favorite for Friday pooja, Varalakshmi Vratham and Diwali. See our lotus guide.
  • Roses, both small button roses and fragrant paneer roses, are versatile: whole flowers for the altar, or petals for archana and for sprinkling.
  • Sampangi (tuberose) has a strong, sweet scent and is used in garlands and as loose flowers.
  • Arali (oleander) is offered in many South Indian temples and homes.
  • Erukkam (calotropis, also called crown flower) is traditionally offered to Lord Shiva and, in Tamil tradition, to Lord Vinayagar (Ganesha), often as a garland.

Safety note: arali and erukkam are for pooja use only. They are toxic if eaten. Keep them away from children and pets, and wash your hands after handling erukkam, whose sap can irritate skin and eyes.

Shop loose flowers and lotus.

Leaves: the quiet essentials

Many poojas need leaves as much as flowers.

  • Betel leaves (paan, vetrilai) are offered with areca nut as thamboolam, placed under the kalasam, and given to guests, especially to married women visiting during Navaratri and other festivals.
  • Mango leaves (maavilai) are tied in a string across the doorway as a toran (thoranam) for auspicious occasions, and arranged in the mouth of the kalasam beneath a coconut.
  • Banana leaves serve as plates for naivedyam (food offered to the deity) and for festival meals, and are used to line trays.
  • Tulasi (holy basil) is sacred to Lord Vishnu and Lord Krishna, and is offered in their worship.
  • Maruvam (marjoram) is a fragrant herb often tied into strings and garlands in Tamil Nadu.

Shop leaves and pooja essentials.

Garlands

A garland (maalai, mala, haar) is an offering in itself. Small, light garlands suit a home shrine or framed picture; fuller garlands are used for larger murtis and temple deities. Because sizes and styles vary so much, we make garlands to order. Browse pooja garlands, or send a custom garland request and we'll call you.

How much to buy

For a typical home pooja, families often use:

  • One string of jasmine or mullai, cut to fit the pictures on the altar, with a little left over for hair.
  • A small pack of loose flowers or petals (100 g goes a long way for archana).
  • A lotus or two for Lakshmi pooja.
  • A pack of betel leaves if you are offering thamboolam or setting up a kalasam, and a bundle of mango leaves for the kalasam or doorway.

For festivals with many guests, or several days of pooja such as Navaratri, plan more, and order early. Our festival flowers guide covers specific festivals.

Choosing good flowers

  • Buds, not open flowers, for strings. Jasmine strings are tied from buds that open later. Tight buds in the morning are a good sign.
  • Firm petals. For roses and loose flowers, petals should feel springy rather than limp or papery.
  • Leaves without dry edges. Betel, mango and banana leaves should be supple, without brittle or brown margins.

Every batch of flowers is a little different. Our flower care guide explains how to keep them looking good until pooja time.

A note on respect

Many families follow a few simple customs with pooja flowers: they don't smell flowers meant for the deity before offering them, they use flowers that haven't been worn, and they return used flowers to nature, for example by adding them to a garden or compost, rather than putting them in the trash. These are customs, not rules, and practices vary.

Ordering from Spice Town Flowers

Choose your flowers online, pick a date in the cart, and collect your order at Spice Town, 378 Kelly Rd, Vernon, CT. Questions about what to use for a particular pooja? Call us at 860-237-4280. We're glad to help.