Pooja or worshipping is an elaborate ritual performed every day not
only in temples but also in most of the Hindu homes. The purpose of the
pooja ritual is to create and setup thoughts of spiritual forces in and
around us. It requires a number of special Pooja articles that is
difficult to find everywhere. Each article or object associated with the
ritual of Pooja or worship has its own significance. A Pooja Thali is a plate, usually made out of copper, steel, gold, silver or brass, that is used to keep all those accessories that are required during the pooja. The various accessories are placed decoratively on the Thali that the ladies hold in both their hands during the Pooja ritual.
Following articles form an integral part of a traditional Hindu Pooja Thali :
- Bells (Ghanta/Ghanti)
- Betel Leaf (Paan)
- Betel Nut (Supari)
- Camphor (Kapur/Kapoor)
- Coconut (Nariyal)
- Desi Ghee/Clarified Oil
- Havan Samagri
- Honey (Madhu)
- Kumkum (Roli/Sindoor)
- Lamps/Diyas (Diyas)
- Panchagavya
- Other Pooja Thali Items
The pleasure of decorating pooja thali is a divine feeling. So here are some of the attractive and easy to follow decoration ideas :
- Take a thali made of steel, gold, silver, brass or any other metal. This thali could be in various shapes like round, oval or any other.
- Cover the thali with colorful designer packing paper sheet and put the pooja accessories in the thali.
- Make a paste of roli with water and draw the holy symbols such as the 'Om', the 'Swastika' and the 'Shree' on the thali with the roli paste.
- Covering the thali with the betel leaves will make your thali look green, and when you put the colorful pooja accessories in the thali, it will look just divine.
- You can also cover the pooja thali with petals of flowers like marigold, rose or any other. Decorate various designs with single color petals or a combination of different colors.
- You can use different rangoli colors to decorate your pooja thali.