What do we do with the kalaśa water, coconut and rice after a pūjā?

sprinkle the water in the home and pour the rest on plants; use the rice and coconut as prasāda or in cooking.

The kalaśa — a pot of water topped with mango leaves and a coconut — is invoked as the seat of the deities and sacred rivers for the duration of the pūjā. After the concluding prayers and visarjana (respectful farewell), it is gently moved, and its contents are used, not wasted.

Commonly, the water is sprinkled with a mango leaf around the house and on family members as a blessing, and the rest is poured into tulasī or other plants. The rice or grains under the kalaśa are cooked or added to the household grain; the coconut is broken and eaten as prasāda or used in cooking; coins are kept in the mandir or given as dāna. Mango leaves and flowers go to the garden or compost.

For Navarātri ghaṭa-sthāpanā or long rituals, families may follow specific regional customs, such as immersing the sprouted barley. Follow your family’s practice where it exists.

Nothing from the kalaśa is wasted · Source: common family practice

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