At a wedding
Kalash are established at the mandap during the opening pujas. In many Gujarati families the bride’s mother or maternal relatives carry decorated kalash during the wedding processions.
Vedic Wisdom
The kalash in Hindu ceremonies — what it is and what it means
A pot of water, a few leaves and a coconut sit at the centre of almost every Hindu ceremony. Here is why the kalash matters, what its parts stand for, and how a family prepares one.
Quick answer
In short
What is a kalash?
A kalash is a pot — usually of copper, brass or clay — filled with water, with mango leaves arranged around its mouth and a coconut set on top. It is established at the start of many Hindu ceremonies as a seat for the divine presence invoked in the rite. You will see one at weddings, house blessings, Satyanarayan Puja, Navratri and many household pujas.
What does it symbolise?
Traditionally the kalash is understood as a form of the whole: the water as the source of life and purity, the pot as the earth or the body that holds it, the leaves as growth, and the coconut as the divine, or as the head and consciousness. When it is established with mantras it becomes the place in the ceremony where the deity is invited to be present.
A vessel for the sacred
Guests at a Hindu ceremony often notice the fire and the flowers first. The priest notices the kalash. In most rites it is established before anything else of substance happens, because it is the seat of the presence the ceremony is addressing. The process is called kalash sthapana — the establishing of the pot — and it is done with mantras and with deliberate care.
The kalash is also called a purna kumbha, a full pot, and the fullness is the point. A pot filled to the brim with water, crowned with leaves and fruit, is an image of completeness and of life sustained. In many households it stands in the puja space for the duration of a festival, and at the end its water is used to bless the family and the home.
Different traditions add different things to the water — rice, a coin, a betel nut, turmeric, sometimes fragrant herbs — and dress the pot differently, with thread, kumkum marks or a small cloth. None of this is arbitrary, but nor is it universal. Your priest will explain what your family’s tradition includes and why.
The parts
What each element is commonly said to represent
Widely shared explanations. Sampradayas and teachers may offer others alongside them.
01
The pot
kumbha
The earth, or the body: that which holds life. Copper and brass are traditional; clay is used in some regions and festivals.
02
The water
jal
Life, purity and the sacred rivers. Water blessed in the kalash is later sprinkled over the family, the home or the couple.
03
The mango leaves
Growth, freshness and auspiciousness. Five or more are arranged around the mouth of the pot, tips outward.
04
The coconut
shriphal
The divine presence, or the head and consciousness resting on the body. It is often wrapped in red cloth or thread.
05
The contents
Rice, a coin, a betel nut, turmeric or herbs, depending on tradition — offerings of sustenance, wealth, and wellbeing placed within the vessel.
06
The markings
A swastik or kumkum marks and a thread wound around the neck, applied as the pot is consecrated.
In use
Where you will see a kalash
At a Griha Pravesh
The lady of the house often carries a kalash of water over the threshold as the family enters the new home, and its water is used to purify the rooms.
At Satyanarayan and household pujas
A kalash stands before the deity for the duration of the puja and is part of the samagri list prepared for the family.
At Navratri
In many homes a kalash, sometimes called a garbo in Gujarati tradition, is established on the first day and remains through the nine nights.
Preparing one at home
You will need a clean pot, fresh water, mango leaves if available, a coconut and the small items your priest lists. Families are welcome to use a pot they already own. Where mango leaves cannot be found, ask before substituting; what is acceptable depends on the rite and your family’s tradition.
Questions
Common questions
Water, and depending on tradition, rice, a coin, a betel nut, turmeric or herbs. Mango leaves are arranged around the mouth and a coconut sits on top. Your priest will confirm what your family’s rite includes.
The coconut, or shriphal, is understood to represent the divine presence, or the head and consciousness resting on the body of the pot. It is often wrapped in red cloth or thread.
It is usually sprinkled over the family, the couple or the rooms of the home as a blessing, and any remainder is poured somewhere clean, such as a garden or a plant.
Ask your priest before substituting. Copper, brass and clay are traditional, but what is acceptable depends on the rite and on your family’s custom.
The garbo of Gujarati Navratri tradition is a form of kalash — a decorated pot, often with a lamp inside — established for the nine nights. Its meaning is closely related.
Written by Shastri Ji Manishbhai Pandya. Last reviewed . Hindu practice varies between regions, communities, families and sampradayas; this guide explains a widely recognised form and is not a ruling on how any family should observe it.
A question is always welcome
Planning a puja at home?
Tell us which ceremony you have in mind and roughly when. A samagri list is prepared for you, and anything you cannot find can be sourced.