The offering of a coconut is a common offering to a deity in Hindu religion and it is distributed later as ‘prasad. The most important reason for offering coconut is that is the purest thing that a human being can offer to a deity. The water and the white kernel inside the coconut are the only unadulterated offering that a devotee makes to the Lord. It is not polluted as it remains covered by the hard outer shell until it is offered to the God.
Accordingly the breaking of coconut symbolizes the breaking of the ego. The coconut represents the human body and before the Lord it is shattered breaking the ‘aham’ or ego and symbolically total surrendering and merging with the Brahman supreme soul. Coconut is also an important aspect in Kalasha or Poorna Kumba. Apart from this there is numerous other symbolic meaning to the coconut. Most of them revolve around its appearance like the three eyes on the coconut represent the three eyes of Lord Shiva.
Not only temples, coconut are broken before you start anything auspicious a new house, a new car etc. It has glucose, phosphorous, and carbohydrates in good quantity and is also good for diabetes. Coconut tree lives for a long time and keeps on producing the extraordinary coconut one after the other hence it is said that you too will imbibe the good qualities of a coconut.
