At the entrance of the temple there is another shrine which is separated from the mandir, this houses the vehicle of the deity, for example at a mandir devoted to Shiva there would be a separate shrine devoted to Nandi the bull.
Many temples have a circular path which leads around the inner sanctum so that worshippers can circumambulate the deity. Many mandirs in India have an elaborate deign on the outside which usually shows the stories of the gods and events such as the great epic story, the Mahabharata. However in the UK you may not see the epic of the Mahabharata but you may just see an elegant deign especially on the shri swaminarain temples.
There are many other aspects of worship like Bhakti, Havan and Yajna.
Bhakti is a deep, intense and personal devotion to god. It is a special form of worship which is the expression of love in an emotional way and the complete surrender to ones deity. Bhakti is usually expressed as a congregation in which devotees sing bhajans which are hymns written by famous poets and saints. It has been a very long tradition in Bhakti worship in India and UK and most modern movements such as Hare Krishna or shri swaminaraen express this in chanting and devotional worship.
A Havan is a fire sacrifice which is usually preformed on the special occasions usually at the mandir but is sometimes performed at home. It was the central act of the ancient Vedic ritual is which the fire represents the god Agni. Offering of rice and ghee (butter) are usually either thrown into the fire or poured into it. The fire is said to be the tongue of the god and by giving the offering you are feeding the god. Since all the food is used up in the offerings thee is no Prasad so devotees take the ash and place a spot of it o n the forehead.
Yajna is a form of public worship in which people come together to worship it the deities and to express their intention to be selfless and dedicated in their services to the community. Yajna is used to express the sacrifice of personal desires and of ego.
Puja is one of the biggest aspects in worship in Hinduism. Puja is the act of showing reverence to a god, a spirit, or another aspect of the divine through prayers, songs, and rituals. An essential part of puja for the Hindu devotee is making a spiritual connection with the divine. Most often that contact is facilitated through an object: an element of nature, a sculpture, a vessel, a painting, or a print. Puja is not only performed in temples but also in most of our homes. So too, we worship God in our Satsangh meetings before we start our days' programme of kirtans and study of scriptures.
During puja many items are used:
- Red Kum-kum powder and abi gulal powder and sandal wood paste
- Flowers and Leaves
- Sopari and other food offerings
- Sacred Thread
- Small Copper Vessel
- Plate
- Incense- To keep all evil away
- Small ghee lamp
- Small bell – Used to wake the gods
- Panchamrit – A mixture of milk, yogurt, syger, honey and butter.
In puja the most crucial rule is that before doing puja you must be clean that is why before entering the mandir you must take off your shoes to show respect and desire to clean both the body and soul and to clear away ignorance. To also show your cleanliness you should also wear clean clothes, Men may wear kurta pajama combination, or a dhoti uttareeyam, and a lady may wear anything she wants as long it is clean. Once reaching the mandir you are asked to take off your shoes outside to once again show respect to the deity.
In order to ensure that there is no evil is present a prayer to Shiva is said, whose very invocation is believed to clear out any troubling vibrations.
Om namah pranavaarththaaya
Shuddha jnaanaika moorthaye
Nirmalaaya prashaanthaaya
Dakshinaa moorthaye namaha
This means ‘I salute the Lord of the Southern direction who is the very embodiment of the sacred symbol Om and of pure knowledge and eternal peace’ once this is done the puja can be started.
To start a puja a special prayer is sung while the ringing of the bell goes off in the background to call the deity to present him or herself in the murti. Here is an example of a prayer that is usually sung:
Vakratunda mahaakaaya sooryakoti samaprabhaa
Nirvighnam kuru medeva sarva karyeshu sarvadaa
This prayer is sung in the Lord Ganesh mandir is Mumbai, it means ‘My Lord, who has a curved tusk, immense body and whose brilliance matches that of a million Suns, please remove all obstacles in all my undertakings all the time.’
The deity is then offered a special seat and welcomed like an honoured guest and then a water offering is made is a similar way. The murti is bathed using the pulchamrit and then rinsed through using warm water. Once this is done the murti is dried and dressed in fresh clothes which are made to the size of the murti. Then a sacred thread is placed around its neck.
Then Kum-kum, turmeric and the sandalwood paste is placed on the murti. The sandal wood paste is meant to have a calming effect so this action enables the worshipper to feel calm and relaxed.
Next all the brightly coloured and sweet smelling flowers and laid before the murti of placed around their necks. They should be placed in a particular way.
- Five fingers of the right hand should be used to pick the flower up gently.
- The five fingers are then turned upward with the flowers.
The flowers represent worldly desires and the offering of the flowers shows how willing you are to get rid of your desires and to show your love for the deity.
The incense sticks are then lit to create a fragrant atmosphere. The fragrant represents the crushing pf the selfless desires and the going away of evil.
The ghee lamp is then lit and is used in a prayer. The offering is then made; this usually consists of some fruit like grapes, some almonds and some sweets. The reason why offerings are made to the deity is because it is to thank the god for the bounty given by him to all human beings. At the mandir devotees usually bring fruit to use for the offering while you may also buy fruit and sweets at the mandir itself. After this is done the arti ceremony is held.
Arti is the most popular ceremony within Hinduism, often performed in temples six or seven times a day. It is a greeting ceremony offering to the murti and also gurus, holy people and other representations of the divine. Arti is often called “the ceremony of light” not to be confused with Diwali “festival of lights”. Arti usually involves offering more that just a lamp.
For the arti ceremony a special arti lamp is needed containing 5 cotton wool wicks dipped in purifies butter also known as ghee which is then lit. The reason why there are 5 wicks is because they each represent the five elements, earth, wind, air, water and fire. The lamp is rotated usually anti clockwise while in the background a small bell is rung. The tray in which the arti lamp is placed is then passed around the whole of the shrine so that devotees can symbolically accept the light and the blessing of the deity, by passing their hands over the arti flame and then over their head. The reason why this action is very significant in worship is because it represents the desire to seek enlightenment and to destroy the darkness of ignorance and receive the light of knowledge.
After the arti a prayer is said by all that are presence it is known as the gayatri mantra:
Aum Bhuh Bhuvah Svah
Tat Savitur Varenyam
Bhargo Devasya Dheemahi
Dhiyo You Nah Prachodayat
The Rig Veda (10:16:3)
The gayatri mantra means, ‘O Divine mother, our hearts are filled with darkness. Please make this darkness distant from us and promote illumination within us."
The reason why all these actions are done during puja is for the specific purpose of bringing the deity into the home and mandir and to help the worshipper to create a good sense of mind towards the love the feels towards god.
Although Puja is a huge part of worship in Hinduism and may be the most important in the house, it is not the most important in the mandir, in the mandir the most important part of worship is darshan. Darshan is defined as:
‘Literally viewing; in religious practice it refers to paying respect and homage to a holy image, person or place and receiving a blessing in return.’
The food and sweets that are given as an offering to the deity is known as prashad and usually some is given out at the end of the puja or and other form of Hindu worship. Prashad usually consists of almonds, sakar (solidified sugar) and some fruit.
