Holi 2017: Holika Dahan Pujan Vidhi and Narasimha Maha Mantra

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Mumbai: India is all set to celebrate the festival of colours – Holi – on March 13. It’s that time of the year when family, friends, relatives and neighbours get-together to celebrate joyous moments with vibrant colours.

But a day prior to the actual colour festival of Rang wali Holi, people collectively gather to perform the Holika Pujan in the evening post sunset to initiate the process of Holi celebrations by offering prayers to the almighty.

If you do not know how to perform Holika Dahan, then worry not. We have the vidhi (procedure) written below.

Holika Pujan Vidhi

• Take bath, wear fresh clothes.
• Prepare a Puja ki thali which consists of a kalash of water, haldi, kumkum, chandan, rice grains, flowers, coconut, jaggery and gulal.
• Offer these to the bonfire.
• Chant the following Narasimha Maha Mantra -

उग्रं वीरं महा विष्णुम ज्वलन्तम सर्वतो मुखम

नृसिंहं भीषणम भद्रम मृत्युर्मृत्युम नाममि:अहम्

Ugram Veeram Maha Vishnum Jwalantam Sarvato Mukham

Nrisimham Bheeshanam Bhadram Mritoymrityum Namamyaham

• Do parikrama or pradakshina (circumambulation) of the bonfire. Keep puring water from the kalash as you walk around Holika.
• The coconut offered to the Holika is then distributed as Prasad. Have the prasad and give it your friends and family.
• Once the bonfire extinguishes, take home some ash. Apply the ash on your forehead.