Section A

A ‘Mandir’ is Hindus’ temple. It is a holy place where people worship God, as the Mandir is the house of God. In India it is sometimes called the ‘land of temples’ as Mandirs are situated everywhere, The Mandir is often the most noticeable buildings in a village, made of brick and is brightly painted and decorated with images of the Hindu Gods and Goddesses. This is in an area in the Mandir, which have many murtis; this is where Hindus pray for God’s blessings.
In Britain there are some Mandirs that were old buildings which where unused or plain halls, so they where purposely made them get converted into a nice new temple. Th


The porch 

As you enter the Mandir, the first room you come to is the porch. The porch is one of the main featured of the Mandir because it has a religious meaning and also symbolises many things. It is the place to remove and keep your shoes and wash your hands. This is done as a sign of respect to God and also for hygiene reasons. By removing your shoes and washing ones hands, you are removing physical dirt before you enter the Mandir. As people sit on the floor, it is important to keep it clean. It symbolizes people removing their self-image as they are focusing on God and spiritual aspirations.

The Mandap 

The mandap is also known as a prayer hall. It is in front of the shrine room. It is a large hall where people assemble for worship. In the mandap there are no chairs as people sit on the floor. This is because the floor is lower than the shrine room, therefore reminding Hindus of the authority and importance of God. In certain temples men and women sit on different sides of the temple. This is to avoid distractions of the opposite sex, so they concentrate on worshipping God.

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The shrine room

The most important part of the Mandir is the shrine room. It contains the murti (images of God’s and Goddesses), pictures of different Hindu gods and goddesses. As the Mandir is the house of God, Hindus one God Brahman, best spirit, is presented in the murti. Brahman is an important concept in Hinduism. He is the supreme spirit of the universe. He is present in all of creations and in every living creature as the individual soul, ATMAN. It may also contain pictures of other Gods, which are associated with the main God or favoured by ...

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