Hindu Temple Worship

A day in the life of a Hindu devotee

Each day at dawn and dusk, devotees gather at the Krishna Temple in the vibrant coastal city of Vishakhapatnam, India to worship Vishnu’s beloved avatar. The Hindu priest (pujari begins the ceremony (puja) by invoking the deities through a sacred flame (aarti), ringing a bell (ghanti) and waving a conch shell (sankha). The priest offers jasmine garlands and fresh mangoes as gifts to the deity and then fans the devotional icon (murti)—where the deity is now present—with a flywhisk (chamara/chauri), emblematic of the royal status of divinity. By caring for the gods in physical form, worshippers demonstrate their total love and devotion (bhakti).

As the pujari performs puja, worshipers sing devotional songs in praise of Lord Krishna and prostrate themselves in prayer. The most auspicious moment ensues as devotees approach the altar to share a mutual gaze with deity (darshan)—a blessing that deepens and strengthens the relationship between God and his followers. The pujari distributes food (prasad) and water (theertham) among the devotees, which God has blessed through his powerful sight. A sacred vessel (shatagopam) is then placed by the pujari upon the heads of devotees, symbolic of their complete submission to the will of the divine. The ritual concludes with worshippers, both young and old, circumambulating the altar (parikrama) in recognition of God as the center of their thoughts and actions.

AARTI
A worship ceremony using a lighted oil lamp to invoke the power of the deity; the flame is then offered to the devotee as a blessing from God

AARTI TRAY
A tray for holding objects used in Hindu home worship: bell, incense, conch shell, water, kumkum, flowers, and oil lamp to invoke the power of deity

ABHISHEKA
The ritual washing and anointing of the deity (the murti) as a sign of loving devotion using such libations as milk, honey, oil, and rosewater

BHAKTA
Hindu worshippers, often referred to as devotees

CHAMARA/CHAURI
A flywhisk used to keep flies away, often associated with Shiva and emblematic of the high status of the gods; held by servants as a sign of devotion and humility; symbolizes not only the swatting away of pesky insects but also the removal of unwanted thoughts

DAMRU
A drum with the power to generate divine energy, associated with Shiva and the primordial sounds of the universe; the triangular upward and downward shapes symbolize male and female procreativity, respectively

DEEPAM
Oil lamps; the ubiquitous fire of Hindu ceremony crucial to all aspects of worship (puja); symbolic of the light or spirit (atman) within each worshiper as darkness is dispelled

EARRINGS AND CLOTHING
Dressing the gods each day in their finery as a form of bhakti, or loving devotion; Vishnu’s earlobes are always shown to be elongated because of their constant, bejeweled ornamentation

GANDHAM
Incense to focus the mind, clear the air, and create an atmosphere conducive to worship; often nag champa, the distinctive Indian scent containing sandalwood and frangipani

GHANTI
A bell that is rung to awaken and attract deity; also thwarts evil forces and helps devotees focus their attention on worship

GO (PAŚU)
The common word for cows in India, where they are considered sacred by Hindus; a symbol of wealth and deemed the “mothers of all civilization” through their life-giving milk; associated with Lord Krishna, the great cow herder

KALASH
A pot of water symbolizing Mother Earth (Bhudevi); the water used to quench the God’s thirst, bathe the deity, and then be drunk by—or sprinkled upon—devotees as a divine blessing

MALA
A flower garland symbolic of victory and offered as a sign of complete devotion and surrender; various types of flowers are associated with specific gods

MANDIR
The Sanskrit term for house; the designation for a Hindu temple

MURTI
Devotional icons that, once properly installed through ritual and worship, are considered the essence of that god and enable the devotee to experience darshan—the blessing of both seeing and being seen by the divine presence; most important are the eyes of the murti, which consecrate the icon once painted or incised

OM
The sound representing the first vibrations of creation, which enables the devotee to unite with deity and the forces of the cosmos

PARIKRAMA
The circumambulation of the god—walking around the altar on which the devotional icon (murti) resides, as a sign that God is the preeminent center of the devotee’s thoughts and actions

PEACOCK FAN
Used to cool the deity; symbolic of Krishna’s all-attractive visage and status as prince among Vishnu’s avatars; also associated with love and desire in connection with the song of the peacock sounded during its mating season

PRASAD
Gifts to deity to be used in temple worship such as incense or oil wicks; also offerings of food blessed by God and subsequently eaten by worshippers to enrich them spiritually

PUJARI
Hindu priest who performs the temple service

RUDRAKSH MALA AND LOTUS SEED MALA
Prayer beads employing japa, the Hindu practice of reciting and chanting a mantra or the various names of deity, often employs a string (mala) of 108 beads to keep track of repetitions; prayer beads are often made from the red rudraksha seed, a broad-leaf evergreen tree that grows in the foothills of the Himalayas—the seed representing Shiva’s tears and the grooves symbolic of his five faces; the lotus seed symbolizes the flowering of spirituality within an individual

SANKHA
A conch shell symbolizing the primeval sound of creation and the horn used in the victorious battle over evil; also signifies the endless cosmos as the shell unfolds from a single point to an ever-expanding infinity—a solid form that encompasses empty space

SHATAGOPAM
A holy vessel that is placed by the priest (pujari) over the heads of devotees; represents the feet of God upon the heads of the worshippers—an act of complete submission to deity

SHIVA LINGAM
A Hindu sacred stone used in temple worship—the non-representational form of Shiva, member of the Hindu Trimurti known as the Destroyer

TILAKA
A mark of sandalwood paste or kumkum on the forehead of a devotee to honor a specific deity and represent meditation and enlightenmen

TULSI PLANT
An auspicious plant that especially pleases Vishnu and his avatar, Krishna; a holy basil that is believed to be endowed with a divine feminine force

YOGA
Meaning “union;” the spiritual, mental, and physical discipline of calming the states of the mind to achieve unity with deity; three paths in achieving liberation of the soul—the Path of Action (karma yoga), the Path of Devotion (bhakti), and the Path of Knowledge (jnana)