Just as a bare forehead is considered inauspicious, so is a Hindu home incomplete without the Tulasi plant.

Every home with a Tulasi plant is a place of pilgrimage, and no diseases, messengers of Yama, the God of Death, can enter it.

– Skandapurana Padmapurana Uttarakhanda

This year (2025), Tulasi Vivaaha will be celebrated on Sunday, Nov. 2nd

||Tulasi Pooja||

Story of Tulasi Devi

Once upon a time there was a devi called Vrinda who was married to a demon called Jalandhara (also called Shankhachuda in some versions)

Jalandhara was extremely powerful and won over the devas and was creating havoc everywhere. He got is power from his wife’s pativrata quality as she was an extremely loyal and devoted wife.

When the demigods approached Lord Shiva for help, he decided to fight Jalandhara. However, he was unable to kill him because of Vrinda’s devotion. At that moment, Lord Vishnu decided to help by taking the form of Jalandhara and appearing before his wife Vrinda and she served him thinking it was her husband. This broke her devotion towards her husband. However, when she realized that it was Lord Vishnu and not Jalandhara, she cursed him to turn into stone.

Lord Vishnu accepted this curse and took the form of Shaligram Shila near the Gandaki River. He blessed Vrinda with a boon that she would be incarnated as the Tulasi plant and be worshiped by everyone. He also blessed her by stating that no worship of Lord Vishnu would be complete without Tulasi leaves, and she would be married to the Shaligram Shila in her plant form.

Another story states that the Tulasi plant or Tulasi devi emerged when the tears of Lord Dhanvantri fell during Samudra manthan. The tears sprouted into the Tulasi plant.

Benefits of Tulasi

The Tulasi plant is capable of treating many health problems and many medicines are prepared from it.

Having a Tulasi plant in the house is considered to be very auspicious because it removes “vastu dosha” and all negativity. It blesses a person with a lot of prosperity. But in order to make this happen one must treat it with respect and worship it regularly. It is believed that a person who takes care of the Tulasi plant and shows respect for it gains salvation and is also blessed by Lord Vishnu.

The women of the house must water the plant daily. Doing pradakshnam around it daily and lighting a lamp brings prosperity for all the members of the family.

Tulasi Vivaha

Tulasi Vivaha is an important festival celebrated during the dwadasi that falls in Karthikai masam (Nov 15th to Dec 15). The Tulasi plant is married to an Amla branch/ sapling (as it is believed that Vishnu resides in the amla plant during this month) or a Shaligram (form of Vishnu)

Did you Know?

The word Tulasi comes from the Sanskrit word tulana, which means “to compare or match” It means Incomparable (InSanskrit, “tulanaa naasti athaiva Tulsi”)

How Tulasi Malas are made?

Tulasi malas are traditionally made by carefully harvesting fresh Tulasi plant stems and processing them into beads, which are then strung into a mala (garland or rosary). The key steps are as follows:

1. Selecting the Tulasi Plant: Choose healthy Tulasi plants, preferably recently dried ones so the inner stems are still green, as this makes bead formation easier.
2. Preparing the Stems: Cut the stems into uniform small pieces, neither too thick nor too thin, to avoid breakage or difficulty threading.
3. Smoothing the Beads: Use a sharp blade /knife to gently grind and smoothen the Tulasi pieces to remove rough edges and enhance shine.
4. Softening the Beads: Soak the Tulasi beads in warm ghee or sesame oil to soften and preserve them, making them easier to thread and giving them a subtle shine.
5. Threading: String the softened beads together using a strong thread or kite string for durability. The beads are threaded closely to avoid gaps. They are strung into malas, 54 or 108 as required.
6. Preservation: The completed mala can be kept in ghee or sesame oil or exposed to incense smoke to maintain softness and finish.
7. A handmade mala can typically take around 3 days to make.

The entire process involves careful manual work, respecting the sacred nature of Tulasi and results in a durable mala used for chanting and devotional purposes.

This traditional method ensures the mala’s longevity and spiritual purity, with attention to the quality of the plant material and the softness of the beads.

Types of Tulasi (commonly found in India)

1. Rama Tulasi / Sita Tulasi / Sri Tulasi / Lakshmi Tulasi

• Bright green leaves with a mild, sweet, clove-like aroma
• Most common variety used in devotional worship and Ayurveda.

2. Shyama Tulasi / Krishna Tulasi

• Purple green (almost black) leaves with a strong, peppery, more intense medicinal fragrance
• Used for respiratory health and energy

3. Vana Tulasi – Wild Tulasi

• Wild forest variety also called African or tree basil
• Tall growth, Larger jagged leaves with lemon-like aroma

4. Kapoor Tulasi

• Heavy flowering variety with strong fragrance of camphor and cloves
• Sometimes labeled as “Holy Basil” commercially though less used in traditional Ayurveda

On the auspicious day of Tulasi Pooja, teach your children – especially little girls – a simple shloka about the Tulasi which they can repeat everyday as they do namaskaram and take care of the plant:

Yanmule sarvatirhaani

Yannagre sarvadevatta

Yanmadhye sarvavedaascha

Tulasi taam namaamyaham

(Meaning – I bow down to the Tulasi, at whose base are all the holy places, at whose top reside all the deities and in whose middle are all the Vedas).

May your life be blessed by Tulasi Devi.

-This article was contributed by Priya Shyam, a mother from the Hindu Parenting community. A few quotes have been added by the editor from the Madhwa festivals blog by Srividya Guruprasad.