Holi - the origin of the festival's name

According to Narada purana, the demon kind Hiranyakashipu constantly tried to kill his son Prahlada by various tactics but failed every time. One of the tactic was to ask his sister Holika to sit with Prahlada in a bonfire. She had a boon that no fire can harm her. But this time the devotion of Prahlada towards Lord Narayana worked wonders and Holika was burned alive in the fire, while Prahlada was untouched. The Holi festival derives its name from Holika.

According to some scholars, the festival derives it's name from the parched grains called Holka in Sanskrit. It is used for some rituals like Hawana. The sacred ashes (vibhuti) obtained from this offering is called Bhumi Hari and is smeared on the forehead.

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How to do Pradakshinam (circumambulation) in a temple

All the heavenly bodies rotate on its axis as well as circumambulates around other objects like earth around the sun. It is symbolized in the Hindu custom of doing Pradakshinam around the deities in a temple or during a pooja. Circumambulation around sanctum sanctorium in the temple or deities is called Pradakshinam (Pradakshina). It has to be done always in a clockwise manner with the deity on our right side during circumambulation. The number of Pradakshinam that has to be done in a temple depends on the deity to whom we are offering it. According to some sources it is as follows. 1 – Ganapathy 2 – Aditya, BhadraKali 3 – Shiva 4 – Vishnu, Devi 5 – DharmaShastha 6 - Subrahmanya 7 – Durga, Banyan Tree 21 - Swayambhu There are four different parts in a Pradakshinam. Walk one step at a time slowly, like measuring the length with our foot. Keep the hands folded like a lotus bud holding it close to the chest. Chant the names of the respective deity. Keep the thoughts fixed ...

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