Hindu Gods & Their Favourite Flowers

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Hindu gods and rituals are just as flamboyant as the culture itself. Here, the gods have their favourite days, colours and also flowers. Certain specific flowers are sacred to a particular Hindu gods. The rituals followed while worshipping a particular god are not complete without offering the god's favourite flower.

Here is a list of flowers sacred to the most important Hindu gods.

Vishnu: Lord Vishnu, the preserver of the Universe has a colourful personality. He like wine, enjoys music and loves to becked up. He represents the cultural elements of our society. Lord Vishnu likes white and fragrant colours like mogra, jasmine etc. Apart from aromatic flowers, this Hindu god loves basil leaves.

Shiva: Lord Shiva, the Destroyer of the Universe, is the divine ascetic. He lives the life of hermit in the wilderness of Mount Kailash and is clad in animal skin. Shiva loves all wild things and thus, pretty flowers are never offered to Him. He loves wild flowers like Dhatura and the poisonous flower Akondo or Apple of Sodom. Akondo is a white flower with a bluish tinge that matched the bluish hue of Shiva's throat.

Kali: Adishakti or the essence of all female power in the Universe is known as Kali in her most destructive form. She is a blood thirsty goddess who represents wearing a garland of Asura heads and blood dripping from her mouth. To match the colour of blood, she worshipped with blood-red hibiscus flowers.

Lakshmi: She is iconic for all that is auspicious and pure in your home. Goddess of wealth and prosperity accepts a wide range of flowers. Goddess Lakshmi is shown sitting on a lotus and thus that has to be her favouite flower. But in the absence of roses, any kind of red flowers, like red jasmine, please the goddess greatly. As she is a symbol of fertility and marital bliss, she must never be offered white flowers. White is the colour of widowhood in Hinduism and red is the colour of 'suhagan' (married woman). Vermilion or sindoor that is applied by all married Hindu women is also red.

Saraswati: The Goddess of Wisdom and Knowledge is always clad in white to symbolise purity of mind but her favourite colour is yellow. While offering prayers to this goddess you must be clad in yellow and also offer yellow coloured flowers like champa (Indian Magnolia) and yellow palash (Flame of the Forest).

Ganapati: The lord of the world Ganesha like red colour flowers just like Lakshmi. Red Genda (Marigold) flowers please him greatly. The Genda is special because it is the only flower of the gods that can be divided into its petals. Scientifically too, each petal of the Marigold flower is a flower in itself.

These are some of the favourite flowers of Hindu gods and must be offered to them during their pooja.