Traditionally the Rakhi thali is the same as the thali for the pooja of the deities. The Rakhi Thali contains a diya, roli or tika, rice, sandalwood, incense sticks. In the Raksha bandhan thali, the rakhis are kept along with the moli.

These days there are a lot many variations of the rakhi thali available in the market. The thali or the plate could be of silver or brass or simple steel. They may have fixed containers and stands for the various components of the pooja or have complimenting incense stick stands and diyas, containers for rice and roli and place to keep sweets.

You can innovate your own way of decorating the rakhi thali. Brass or silver or silver plated rakhi thali are considered most auspicious. One of the essentials is drawing a Swastika in the middle of the rakhi thali, the symbol of Lord Ganesha. You need three tiny containers for roli, rice and water, a diya and an insence stick stand. Rakhi and flowers can be places in the thali itself and sweets can accompany in a separate plate.

You can use Beatle leaves as a replacement of the containers. Beatle leaves are considered auspicious.

You can put a banana leaf on an ordinary tali to give it a festive look and arrange the pooja ingredients on the banana leaf.

You may decorate the rakhi thali with a yellow or red cotton bandhani cloth and decorate with gota ( Golden lace) or moli . Take care that diya and the burning encense sticks don't come in direct contact with the cloth.

Create a sacred aura by placing a jute mat and asans and arrange your things on it. It is upto ones own imagination and the traditional perspectives to decorate the rakhi thali and perform the ceremony. Be your innovative self and enjoy the auspices of the day.

Rakhi Thali Decoration Idea with Sandalwood:
1. Swab sandalwood paste with water over entire thali. After it is dry, make an auspicious Swastika with Roli (Red kumkum) at the center of thali.
2. Decorate the space between Swastika with yellow petals of marigold, and the entire swastika with a boundary box of rose petals. Circle edge boundary of thali with rose petals.
3. Decorate the thali fringe with satin, beads and tassels.
4. Place beetle leaves at the centre and on four sides of the thali. Place roli, Rakhi, akshat and sweets on all four beetle leaves. Place the diya on the center beetle leaf.
5. Decorate the space between beetle leaves with dry fruits.
6. You Thali is ready for Rakhi tying ceremony.