Kandulu (కందులు) are whole pigeon peas, also called red gram – sabut arhar or tuvar in Hindi. Split and de-husked, they become kandi pappu (toor dal).
How kandulu are used
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Navadhanyalu – kandulu are the grain of Kuja (Mars, Angaraka) among the nine navagraha grains. See our ready Navadhanyalu (nine grains).
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Navagraha puja and dana – offered or given on Tuesdays for Kuja, as your purohit advises.
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Cooking – sprouted or boiled kandulu in guggillu, curries and ugadi-season dishes.
The nine grains and their grahas
| Graha |
Grain (Telugu) |
| Surya |
Godhumalu (wheat) |
| Chandra |
Biyyam (rice) |
| Kuja |
Kandulu (pigeon peas) – this |
| Budha |
Pesalu (green gram) |
| Guru |
Senagalu (Bengal gram) |
| Shukra |
Bobbarlu (cow peas / beans) |
| Shani |
Nuvvulu (sesame) |
| Rahu |
Minumulu (black gram) |
| Ketu |
Ulavalu (horse gram) |
Families and purohits sometimes vary the Shukra and Rahu grains; follow your purohit’s list.
Questions families ask
What is kandulu in English?
Pigeon peas or red gram. Split, they are toor dal (kandi pappu).
Kandulu or kandi pappu – which do I need for navadhanyalu?
Whole kandulu. Kandi pappu is the split dal used for cooking.
How much do I need?
A handful (about 50 g) for navadhanyalu in a puja; 250 g or more for dana or cooking.
Goes well with
Kandi pappu (toor dal) · Navadhanyalu (nine grains) · Godhumalu (wheat) · Ulavalu (horse gram)
Delivery: shipped across India, ₹100 flat delivery per order. Returns are accepted if an item arrives damaged, defective or wrong.
Buying for a whole puja? Send your samagri list on WhatsApp (+91 81210 07481) and we pack it together, or pick a ready puja samagri kit. For the Telugu, English and Hindi name of every item, see Telugu Pooja Samagri Names.
