Homa (also known as
homam or
havan) is a
Sanskrit word which refers to any ritual in which making offerings into a consecrated fire is the primary action.
[1] The words
homa/homam and
havan are interchangeable with the word
Yagna.[2] Homas are an important religious practise in
Hinduism, where they part of most of the
Sanskar ceremonies,
Buddhism (particularly the Tibetan and Japanese
Vajrayana traditions) and
Jainism.
Although a consecrated fire is the central element of every homa ritual, the procedure and items offered to the fire vary by what occasions the ceremony, or by the benefit expected from the ritual. Procedures invaribly involve -
The consecrated fire forms the focus of devotions; it is often maintained on specific types of dung, wood, dried coconut (copra) and/or other combustibles. The fire-altar (vedi or homa/havan kunda) is generally made of brick or stone or a copper vessel, and is almost always built specifically for the occasion, being dismantled immediately afterwards. This fire-altar is invaribly built in square shape. While very large vedis are occasionally built for major public homas, the usual altar may be as small as 1 x 1 foot square and rarely exceeds 3 x 3 feet square. Again, whereas major altars at public events may include a hollowing of the earth to create a relatively deep pit, usual altars involve no such excavation and indeed rise only inches above the ground.
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