108 Mass Hawan
DOZENS of devotees attended a mass Hawan (religious ceremony) at the annual South African Hindu Maha Sabha Diwali Festival on Sunday. There were 108 Hawan kunds and ingredients, including ghee, saamagri, wood, camphor and tealights, provided for those participating. Mantras were chanted as offerings were placed into the fire.
The aim of the Hawan was to enhance the energy of the human body and make it healthy and progressive, while the smoke from the fire cleanses the air, said convener Dhunluxmi Desai. Seen are priests from various linguistic backgrounds.