🔔 Puja Vidhi · Any Deity
Shodashopachara Puja — 16-Step Daily Puja
The classical 16-step home puja procedure applicable to any deity.
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Best occasion
Daily home puja, all festivals
English
**16-Step Puja Procedure (Shodashopachara):** 1. **Avahana** — Invocation: invite the deity to inhabit the murti. 2. **Asana** — Offer a seat (place the murti on a clean pedestal). 3. **Padya** — Offer water for washing the feet. 4. **Arghya** — Offer water for washing the hands. 5. **Achamana** — Offer water for sipping. 6. **Snana** — Bathe the murti with water (or panchamrita). 7. **Vastra** — Offer new cloth or thread. 8. **Yajnopavita** — Offer sacred thread. 9. **Gandha** — Apply sandalwood paste and turmeric. 10. **Pushpa** — Offer flowers. 11. **Dhupa** — Offer incense. 12. **Dipa** — Offer lit lamp. 13. **Naivedya** — Offer food (typically fruit, sweets, cooked rice). 14. **Tambula** — Offer betel leaves and areca nut. 15. **Namaskara** — Offer salutations (prostration). 16. **Visarjana** — Ritually release the deity's presence. Between steps, sprinkle water clockwise around each offering and chant the deity's mantra. Conclude with Aarti and consumption of prasad.
Meaning & Significance
The Shodashopachara is the classical form of home worship codified in the Puranas — used for daily worship of household deities, weekly special pujas, and monthly festival pujas.
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