Dhupa

This article is about the dharmic use of incense. For plants mentioned in classical Hindu sources, see Flora of the Indian epics period.

Dhupa or incense stick offering

Hinduism, India Taoism, Singapore Buddhism, Cambodia Buddhism, Thailand

Dhupa (धुप) is, in Indian religions (such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, etc.), the ritual offering of incense during puja to an image of a deity, or other object of veneration. It is also the Sanskrit word for incense or perfume itself.

The Thai language also borrows this word from Sanskrit to call joss sticks or incense sticks, by omitting "a" in the word Dhupa. So, the word retains the Sanskrit form when it is written in the Thai alphabet as "Dhup" (ธูป). However, Sanskrit's ⟨dh⟩ ([dʱ]) is pronounced as an aspirated [tʰ] in Thai so that the word is normally pronounced or transliterated as "Thup" ([tʰûːp]). Incense burning before images, in temples and during prayer practice is also found in many parts of Asia, among followers of Jainism, Sikhism, Buddhism and Taoism.

The very idea of offering dhupa is personified in the dakini Dhupa, who is said in the Bardo Thödol to appear on the third day.

See also

• Añjali Mudrā
• Buddhist prayer beads
• Coconut: use for worship
• Culture of India
• Guru-shishya tradition
• Hindu prayer beads
• Hindu temple
• Incense of India
• Indian honorifics
• Mala
• List of Hindu festivals, many of which involve Puja
• Mudras
• Namaste
• Panchalinga Darshana
• Pranāma
• Puja (Buddhism)
• Puja (Hinduism)
• Pādodaka
• Satyanarayan Puja
• The Archaeology of Hindu Ritual