Dhunachi is a incense burner (commonly used in conjunction with Indian Frankincense or "Dhuno" for traditional ceremonies) used for one of the stages during Aarti and ritualized Dance worship in

West Bengal West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fou ...

Mithila Mithila may refer to: Places * Mithilā, a synonym for the ancient Videha state ** Mithilā (ancient city), the ancient capital city of Videha * Mithila (region), a cultural region (historical and contemporary), now divided between India and Nepal ...

Assam Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...

, Orrisa,

Tripura Tripura (, Bengali: ) is a state in Northeast India. The third-smallest state in the country, it covers ; and the seventh-least populous state with a population of 36.71 lakh ( 3.67 million). It is bordered by Assam and Mizoram to the ea ...

and

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

during

Durga Puja Durga Puja ( bn, দুর্গা পূজা), also known as Durgotsava or Sharodotsava, is an annual Hindu festival originating in the Indian subcontinent which reveres and pays homage to the Hindu goddess Durga and is also celebrated ...

and

Kali puja Kali Puja, also known as Shyama Puja or Mahanisha Puja, is a festival originating from the Indian subcontinent, dedicated to the Hinduism, Hindu goddess Kali. It is celebrated on the new moon day (Dipannita Amavasya) of the Hindu calendar month ...

. It is often used following the aarti with the pradip (a lamp with an odd number of wicks).

Description

The dhunachi has a flared shape and is held by a stem with a large cavity at the top, and is traditionally made of earthenware. Dhunachis may have one handle, two handles diametrically opposite to each other or even no handles at all. Brass or silver dhunachi has a longer handle to reduce the effect of heat. The earthenware dhunachis are made by potters from clay. After rendering the shape, the dhunachis are first sun dried and then burnt in fire. They may or may not be painted. Every year, potters from the districts such as Nadia or Bankura produce dhunachis on mass scale before Durga Puja. As of 2016, the wholesale price of medium sized earthenware dhunachis in

Bankura Bankura () is a city and a municipality in the state of West Bengal, India. It is the headquarters of the Bankura district. Etymology In the Mahabharata, Bankura was described as Suhmobhumi. The word or (in Nagari: rāḍh) was introduced af ...

ranged between ten and twelve rupees, whereas the retail price varied between 20 to 25 rupees.

Usage

The dhunachi is lit by placing burning coal at the bottom, which ignites a layer of slow-burning coconut husk, on which incense (usually resin such as Indian frankincense) is sprinkled. During

in eastern India, it is common to have ''dhunuchi nritya'', or a frenzied dance with the censer, to the accompaniment of dhak playing. Many puja traditions also organize contests for the best dance, where some performers may go with as many as three dhunuchis - the third one held between the teeth. Dhunachi arati also known as "dhoop arati".

References

External links

* Dhunuchi Nac
video

Dhunuchi Nach Photo
Objects used in Hindu worship Aarti Durga Puja Incense equipment {{Hindu-stub