Frankincense Resin for Puja and Altar Use
Written and reviewed by The Kriya Yogi · Updated 29 September 2026
The short answer
For a home puja or altar, raw frankincense resin burned on charcoal is a traditional offering of scent, distinct from an incense stick stood in a holder. It is sold plain, with no additive, in 50 g or 100 g pouches of tears or powder. Burn it in a stable heatproof burner set away from cloth, flowers or paper on the altar itself.
What matters for this
- Material
- Natural frankincense resin or powder
- Weight options
- 50 g or 100 g
- Form
- Whole tears or ground powder
- Additives
- None
- Burner needed
- Charcoal disc or resin burner, not supplied with the altar
- Placement
- Away from cloth, flowers or paper offerings
Resin as an altar offering, not a stick replacement
Many home altars use incense sticks because they are simple to light and stand upright. Raw resin asks a little more of you — a heated charcoal disc, a heatproof burner, a few grains placed by hand — but it is the older form of the same gesture: a measured amount of natural material given to flame for the duration of the puja rather than left to burn down on its own schedule.
Setting it up safely near an altar
Altars often carry cloth, dried flowers, paper images and other material that sits close together. A heated charcoal disc stays hot well after the smoke has thinned, so it needs a stable, raised burner rather than a saucer balanced among offerings, and should never be left burning unattended once the puja is finished.
Timing the burn to the ritual
Because resin is added grain by grain, you can time the scent to the length of the puja rather than to a fixed stick-burn. A pinch at the opening, and another partway through if the ritual runs long, keeps the room scented through the sitting without burning through resin before the puja has properly started.
Choosing between the two weights
A 50 g pouch is enough for occasional puja use and lets you judge how much a single session actually needs. For a daily or near-daily altar practice, 100 g avoids reordering every few weeks, since each use only takes a small pinch.
Choose something else if…
- Altars crowded with cloth, dried flowers or paper that sit close to where a burner would need to go.
- Anyone who wants a stick they can simply light and leave — resin needs a charcoal disc and burner.