Cow Dung Cakes (Kande, Upla): Their Uses in Havan, Pooja and the Village Kitchen

By Thaaro Foods · 8 October 2026

Sun-dried kande have fuelled village kitchens and sacred fires for generations. What they are, how they are made, and how they are used in havan and pooja.

Stacked in neat round towers beside village homes in Rajasthan, kande or uple (cow dung cakes) are part of rural life. They are made by hand, dried in the sun and used as fuel for the hearth and for sacred fires.

How they are made

Fresh cow dung is mixed by hand, sometimes with a little straw.
It is shaped into flat round cakes and pressed onto a wall or the ground.
The cakes dry in the sun for several days until they are hard and light.

Uses in havan and pooja

Havan and yagna: kande are used to build and keep the sacred fire, with ghee and havan samagri offered into it.
Holika Dahan: stacks of kande are part of the Holi bonfire in many villages.
Daily pooja: a small piece lit with a little ghee for dhoop, in some homes.

In the village kitchen

Slow-burning kande give a steady, low heat. In Rajasthan, baati was traditionally baked in the embers of kande, which gives it its smoky taste. Read our dal baati churma recipe.

Using them at home

Light them in a havan kund or a metal or clay vessel, never directly on the floor.
Use them outdoors or in a well-ventilated room.
Keep them dry: damp kande smoke and are hard to light.

Thaaro's desi cow dung cakes come in packs of 12, sun-dried in Nijamnagar, Alwar. Pair them with a ghee diya; see how to light a ghee diya.

Questions

What are kande or uple?

Flat cakes of cow dung, shaped by hand and dried in the sun, used as fuel and in havan and pooja.

How do I light cow dung cakes for havan?

Place them in a havan kund, light a small piece with camphor or a ghee-soaked wick, and add more as the fire catches. Use them in a ventilated space.