How Kalla Gives Temple Flowers a Second Life

Every day, flowers are offered in temples as part of prayers, Pooja, and other rituals. They're picked with devotion, placed before the deity, and become part of a deeply personal ritual. But once the prayers are over, those same flowers may have no clear next use.

Instead of letting these flowers be discarded after the rituals, Kalla collects them and gives them a completely new purpose.

This simple idea is what Kalla is built on. And it's still at the heart of everything the brand creates today. Here's how that idea came to life.

The Story Behind Kalla

It began as a college initiative by Maitri Jariwala, who wanted to find a better way to use flowers left behind after temple prayers.

What started as a small project slowly grew into an idea of creating handcrafted products that connect everyday rituals with sustainability and conscious choices.

Together with her mother and co-founder, Toral Jariwala, she started collecting these flower offerings and transforming them into handcrafted incense, dhoop, candles, and other home fragrance essentials.

Today, the brand works with women artisans who use their skills to handcraft these products and help bring the idea to life.

How Does Kalla Turn Temple Flowers Into Products?

Every batch goes through a series of careful steps before it's ready to become something new.

Here's a little peek into the process:  

1. Collecting Flowers After Temple Rituals

Once the rituals are complete, the flower offerings are collected before they become mixed with other discarded materials.

2. Separating And Cleaning The Flowers

Not every flower can be used. The collected flowers are sorted by hand, and anything that doesn't belong, like threads, leaves, or other materials, is removed. It's slow work, but it makes sure only usable flowers move to the next stage.

3. Drying The Flowers

Fresh flowers hold a lot of moisture, so they need to be dried first. This helps prepare them for the next stage while making the material easier to work with.

4. Converting Dried Flowers Into Powder

Once dried, the flowers are crushed into a fine powder. This powder becomes a base ingredient for Kalla's incense and other ritual products. The original shape of the flowers changes, but their place in the product story remains clear.

5. Creating Fragrance Blends

Once the flower powder is ready, it's blended with other ingredients and essential oils to create different fragrances. Depending on the product, scents like rose, jasmine, lavender, or sandalwood bring a familiar fragrance experience to the final product.

6. Handcrafting By Women Artisans

Kalla's women artisans shape the prepared mixture into incense sticks, dhoop sticks, dhoop cones, and Havan Cups, and other ritual products.

The result is a process that brings together traditions, craftsmanship, and careful making.

Quick snapshot of the process:

Who Are the Kallakars Behind the Products?

The women who handcraft Kalla's products are known as the Kallakars.

Once the flowers have been prepared, they take the process forward. From sorting materials and working with the flower base to shaping incense sticks, dhoop cones, and other products, they're involved in almost every step.

Kalla works with women artisans, including women from rural Surat, as part of its social venture model. Through training and regular work opportunities, the brand aims to support both traditional craftsmanship and local livelihoods.

Which Kalla Products Use the Temple-Flower Process?

The temple-flower process is most closely linked to Kalla's incense sticks, dhoop sticks, dhoop cones, and Havan Cups. These are the products where collected temple flowers become part of the making process before the Kallakars handcraft them.

You'll also find candles, bathing bars, aroma tags, essential oils, room mists, and gifting collections in the Kalla range. While they all reflect the same thoughtful approach, the ingredients and process can differ from one product to another.

If you're specifically looking for products made using temple flowers, it's always worth checking the product details before you buy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who founded Kalla?

Maitri Jariwala founded Kalla along with her mother and co-founder, Toral Jariwala. What began as a college project has grown into a brand built around giving temple flowers a second life.

What does Kalla do with temple flowers?

The flowers are collected after temple prayers, sorted, dried, turned into powder, blended with other natural ingredients, and handcrafted into selected products.

Who makes Kalla's temple flower products?

They're handcrafted by Kalla's women artisans, known as the Kallakars, who help prepare, shape, and finish each product by hand.

Are all Kalla products made from temple flowers?

No. Temple flowers are used in selected products, while other collections may use different ingredients and follow a different process.

Which Kalla products use temple flowers?

Selected incense sticks, dhoop sticks, dhoop cones, and Havan Cups are made using the temple flower process.

What makes Kalla different?

Kalla gives temple flowers a new purpose by combining traditional rituals, careful sourcing, and the skills of women artisans who handcraft the products.

Bring a Piece of This Story Home

Every Kalla product has a story behind it. One that starts in a temple, continues through careful craftsmanship, and finds its way into homes in a completely different form.

That is what makes the journey worth knowing. You are not only choosing a scent. You are bringing home a product with a clear source, skilled hands behind it and a thoughtful purpose. 

Explore Kalla's handcrafted incense collection and find a fragrance that brings this story into your own rituals and everyday spaces.