Hindu flower traditions
Lotus, marigold, jasmine, hibiscus and the flowers each deity is offered.
JasmineJasminum
A group of fragrant shrubs and vines with white or yellow star-shaped flowers
🇵🇰 Pakistan and 7 more · Wildflower
Sacred lotusNelumbo nucifera
The pink aquatic flower sacred in Asia and grown for food, worship and beauty
🇮🇳 India and 7 more · Water flower
Hibiscus
A tropical genus with large, colourful trumpet-shaped flowers
🇮🇳 India and 7 more · Wildflower
Bay laurelLaurus nobilis
Evergreen tree with aromatic leaves used as bay leaf in cooking
🇬🇷 Greece and 9 more · Flowering tree
Datura
A group of trumpet-shaped, highly toxic flowering plants in the nightshade family
🇲🇽 Mexico and 7 more · Wildflower
BaelAegle marmelos
A spiny tree with fragrant yellow-green flowers and hard-shelled aromatic fruit
🇮🇳 India and 6 more · Flowering tree
LotusNelumbo
Aquatic plants with large, round leaves and striking flowers called lotus
🇮🇳 India and 7 more · Water flower
Plumeria
Fragrant tropical tree with waxy, five-petaled flowers in many colours
🇲🇽 Mexico and 6 more · Flowering tree
Holy basilOcimum tenuiflorum
A fragrant herb central to Hindu worship and Southeast Asian cooking
🇲🇲 Myanmar and 6 more · Herb or useful flower
Calendula
Golden daisy-like flowers used in food, dye, and rituals
Calendula · Wildflower
Decoration
History of flower arrangement
How arranging flowers became an art across cultures and centuries
🇪🇬 Egypt and 3 more · Arrangement
Calotropis
A wild and weedy flowering plant with milky sap and fragrant blooms
🇮🇳 India and 1 more · Wildflower
Decoration
Cut flowers
Fresh flowers and buds trimmed for decoration and display
🇳🇱 Netherlands and 6 more · Arrangement
Bayur treePterospermum acerifolium
A tall Southeast Asian tree with large fragrant white flowers and dinner-plate leaves
🇲🇲 Myanmar and 2 more · Flowering tree
MahuaMadhuca longifolia
A tropical tree with sweet edible flowers and oil-rich seeds
🇮🇳 India and 4 more · Flowering tree
Datura metelधतूरा
A shrubby plant with trumpet-shaped flowers, grown for ornament and tradition
🇮🇳 India and 4 more · Garden flower
Decoration
Toran
A festive hanging of flowers and leaves for Hindu doorways and celebrations
🇮🇳 India · Garland or wreath
Arabian jasmineJasminum sambac
A small white jasmine with a strong, sweet scent, treasured in Asia for garlands and ceremonies
🇨🇳 China and 7 more · Flowering shrub
Decoration
Flower carpet
Patterns made on the ground from fresh flowers or petals
🇧🇪 Belgium and 3 more · Carpet or floor pattern, Aug to Dec
Decoration
Kolamகோலம்
South Indian geometric floor art made with rice flour or powder at home entrances
🇮🇳 India and 5 more · Carpet or floor pattern
Decoration
Alpanaআলপনা
Bengali ritual floor art painted with rice flour on festive and religious occasions
🇮🇳 India and 1 more · Carpet or floor pattern
Decoration
Chowk poorana
Folk floor and wall art made with flour, clay and rice in northern India
🇮🇳 India · Carpet or floor pattern
Decoration
Aripanअरिपन
Finger-drawn rice paste floor art from Mithila for rituals and festivals
🇮🇳 India · Carpet or floor pattern
Decoration
Pujaपूजा
The Hindu ritual of offering flowers, light, and food in worship
🇮🇳 India and 2 more · Offering or rite
Decoration
Loy Krathongลอยกระทง
The Thai festival of floating candle-lit baskets on water
🇹🇭 Thailand and 7 more · Custom, November
Decoration
Hindu weddingविवाह
The traditional marriage ceremony of Hindus, rich in rituals and floral decoration
🇮🇳 India and 2 more · Custom
Decoration
Phool Walon Ki Sair
Delhi’s annual flower procession celebrating unity after the monsoon
🇮🇳 India · Custom, September
Place
Thrikkakara Temple
Kerala temple at the heart of Onam festival traditions
Kochi, 🇮🇳 India · Festival or show, Aug to Sep
Decoration
Gudi Padwa
The spring new year festival of Maharashtra, marked by flower-adorned gudis and rangoli
🇮🇳 India · Custom
Decoration
Ugadiఉగాది / ಯುಗಾದಿ
South Indian New Year marked by flowers, rangoli, and mango leaf decorations
🇮🇳 India and 2 more · Custom, Mar to Apr
Decoration
Vishuവിഷു
Malayali New Year marked by auspicious flowers, food, and family customs
🇮🇳 India · Custom, April
Decoration
Vesak
The Buddhist festival marking the Buddha’s birth, enlightenment, and passing
🇱🇰 Sri Lanka and 7 more · Custom, Apr to Jun
Decoration
Buddha's Birthday佛诞
A festival marking the birth of Gautama Buddha, celebrated across Asia in spring
🇮🇳 India and 3 more · Custom, Apr to May
Decoration
Lotus throneपद्मासन
A stylized lotus flower base for divine figures in Indian and Asian art
🇮🇳 India · Offering or rite
Decoration
Kalashकलश
A metal pot with coconut and mango leaves used in Indian religious rituals
🇮🇳 India · Offering or rite
Decoration
Kalamkariవ్రాత పని
Hand-painted and block-printed cottons from Andhra Pradesh using natural dyes
🇮🇳 India · Art or design
Decoration
Bathukamma
A nine-day flower festival celebrated by women in Telangana, India
🇮🇳 India · Carpet or floor pattern, Sep to Oct
Decoration
Mother's Day
A day to honor mothers and motherhood around the world
🇺🇸 United States and 6 more · Custom
Ixora
Tropical evergreen shrubs with clusters of small, bright flowers
🇮🇳 India and 4 more · Garden flower
Decoration
Garland
A string or braid of flowers, leaves, or other materials for decoration or ceremony
🇮🇳 India and 3 more · Garland or wreath
Yellow oleanderCascabela thevetia
A tropical shrub with funnel-shaped yellow flowers and toxic seeds
🇲🇽 Mexico and 5 more · Flowering shrub
Decoration
Varamalaवरमाला
A flower garland exchanged by bride and groom in Hindu weddings
🇮🇳 India · Garland or wreath
Decoration
Rangoliरंगोली
Indian floor art made with coloured powders, rice, or petals for festivals and daily welcome
🇮🇳 India and 1 more · Carpet or floor pattern
Decoration
Pushpanjaliपुष्पाञ्जलि
A flower offering in Hindu worship and classical dance
Offering or rite
Decoration
Onam
Kerala’s ten-day harvest festival with flower carpets, feasts and boat races
🇮🇳 India and 1 more · Custom, Aug to Sep
Decoration
Pohela Boishakhপহেলা বৈশাখ
Bengali New Year marked by processions, fairs, and flower-adorned gatherings
🇧🇩 Bangladesh and 1 more · Custom, April
Decoration
Ashtamangalaअष्टमङ्गल
A sacred set of eight auspicious symbols in Indian religions
🇮🇳 India and 1 more · Art or design
Decoration
Attarअत्तर, عطر
Traditional natural perfume oil distilled from flowers, herbs, and spices
🇮🇳 India and 2 more · Flower craft
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Garland: No machine-readable author provided. Piotrus assumed (based on copyrig, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Varamala: Sumita Roy Dutta, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Rangoli: SreeramKalyan, CC0, source
- Pushpanjali: Yosarian, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Onam: Jiteshgt, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Pohela Boishakh: Abidhasan00, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Ashtamangala: Redtigerxyz, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Attar: Kerina yin, CC0, source
- Plumeria: Renesis, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Bay laurel: Forest and Kim Starr, CC BY 3.0 us, source
- Bael: Asit K. Ghosh Thaumaturgist, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Jasmine: HelenOnline, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Hibiscus: Marshman at en.wikipedia / Eric Guinther, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Datura: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Lotus: Peripitus, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Calendula: Alvesgaspar, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- History of flower arrangement: Otto Scholderer, Public domain, source
- Calotropis: Forest & Kim Starr, CC BY 3.0, source
- Cut flowers: Rept0n1x, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Bayur tree: J.M.Garg, CC BY 3.0, source
- Mahua: Nvvchar, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Datura metel: Don McCulley, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Toran: Wmpearl, Public domain, source
- Holy basil: Shashidhara halady, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Arabian jasmine: Taken by Fanghong, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Flower carpet: Francisco Conde Sánchez, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Kolam: mckaysavage, CC BY 2.0, source
- Alpana: Tripan123, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Chowk poorana: Gurlal Maan, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Aripan: Sntshkumar750, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Puja: Sakkhar21, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Loy Krathong: John Shedrick, CC BY 2.0, source
- Hindu wedding: Dinesh Cyanam, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Phool Walon Ki Sair: Nvvchar, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Thrikkakara Temple: Ranjithsiji, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Gudi Padwa: Abhijit Tembhekar, CC BY 2.0, source
- Ugadi: Kalyan Kanuri, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Vishu: Vishnu Kunnathully, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Vesak: ผู้สร้างสรรค์ผลงาน/ส่งข้อมูลเก็บในคลังข้อมูลเสรีวิกิมีเดียคอมมอนส์ - เ, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Buddha's Birthday: User: (WT-shared) Manoj nav at wts wikivoyage, Public domain, source
- Lotus throne: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Kalash: Redtigerxyz at English Wikipedia, CC BY 3.0, source
- Kalamkari: Anilbhardwajnoida, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Sacred lotus: T.Voekler, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Bathukamma: Randhirreddy at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Mother's Day: Dave Parker, CC BY 2.0, source
- Ixora: Wilfredor, CC0, source
- Yellow oleander: Anshik Kumar Tiwari, CC BY-SA 4.0, source