Hindu Places of Worship (AQA GCSE Religious Studies A (8062))

Worship in the Home

Introduction to Worship

• In Hinduism, worship is a significant part of daily life

• Hindu holy books teach about ways of finding and worshipping God

  • The Upanishads recommend performing yoga and meditation

  • The Bhagavad Gita describes a path of knowledge, following through reading holy books, and a path of action, followed through exercises that focus the mind and heart on God

  • All these types of worship can be performed at home, at a shrine or in any sacred space outdoors

  • Hindus generally agree that the way a person worships is not as important as the love and devotion in their heart when they worship

• Worship expresses devotion and love to the gods and goddesses

• Hindus believe they have atman, a soul, which connects all living things to Brahman

• Devotion to the gods and goddesses, known as bhakti, is a way of connecting with Ultimate Reality

• Daily worship is often done at a shrine at home, and sometimes at the mandir

• Hindu worship is called puja, whether it is at the temple or at home

  • Puja means ‘giving respect and honour’

  • The deity (god or goddess) is treated as an honoured guest

• One of the most important duties of all Hindus is to show loving devotion to God which is known as bhakti

  • It encourages devotees to show their love by focusing on the deity

  • A family will often have a favourite deity who they will worship at a shrine in their home

The Purpose of Worship

• Worship is an important part of being a Hindu

• Hindu scripture contains many passages outlining the importance of worship

• One of those scriptures is the Bhagavad Gita which gives Hindus a lot of advice about how to worship and meditate

Worship in the Home

• For daily devotion, many Hindu families have a home shrine, often in a corner of the best room in the house

• It is a way of honouring the gods and goddesses

• Worship at the shrine may involve the whole family, or sometimes it is done alone

• A daily puja ceremony uses all the five senses

  • For this a Hindu needs the following:

• Typically, a worshipper will ring a bell to begin, before lighting some incense and washing the murti

• Flowers or fruit are placed in the shrine and lamps are lit

• Arati lamps often have ghee for fuel and have many wicks

• The lamp is circled around in front of the murti, symbolising the light and love of the gods and goddesses

• Hymns (bhajans) or mantras are sung or said

• Then the worshipper marks their forehead with kum-kum powder, and also marks the murti as a blessing

Worship at the Temple

Worship in the Temple

• A Hindu temple is called a mandir and is a sacred place for Hindu worship

  • There are hundreds of mandirs in the UK

• In India, where most Hindus live, there are temples in almost every village

• Temples often honour the gods and goddesses whose murtis live inside them with beautiful decoration, sculpture and lighting

  • When they enter a mandir, a Hindu worshipper typically removes their shoes as a sign of respect and cleanliness in the house of the deities

  • The worshipper then enters the shrine room and rings a bell at the shrine of one of the gods or goddesses

  • This is a symbol of awakening the deity but it also acts to focus the worshipper’s mind

  • They may then walk around the shrine while singing, chanting or praying

  • They may also present an offering, such as fruit, milk or money

  • The purpose of worship in the mandir is to ‘have darshan’ of (or see) the gods and goddesses

    • Worship enables the devotee to clearly see, and be seen by the divine

  • Prayers and hymns (such as bhajans) help the devotee to experience the divine presence

• Hindu teaching says that worship comes from human hearts and minds, and is expressed in actions

• The daily services of the mandir usually include morning and evening arati ceremonies led by a Brahmin priest

  • The priest’s role is to look after the murtis of the gods and goddesses in the temple by washing them and clothing them each day

• The priest also feeds the gods by placing blessed food, called prashad at their feet

  • This food is then shared out with worshippers in the temple or given to people in need

Worship Outdoors

• In Hinduism, worship does not need to be undertaken in a temple or other building. It can also be undertaken outdoors

• Holy places where Hindus worship outdoors include hills and rivers

  • One of these holy places is the mountain range known as the Himalayas

    • Hindus believe that these mountains are integral to God as they represent the Hindu god, Himavat

  • The Ganges River is most sacred in the Hindu tradition

    • It is understood as the personification of the Goddess Ganga

• Hindu worship can also happen in open-air shrines, which are more common in India than in the UK

• In addition, Hindus consider many plants and animals to be sacred and therefore will include them within their worship ritual

The Space of the Heart

• Hindus believe that worship comes from within, as Brahman is within all living things

• Hindus believe in the space of the heart, which is the idea that Brahman is within people and therefore can be worshipped wherever they are

  • The space within the heart contains everything

  • The entire universe is there, all time and space, and all creation

  • This small inner space is called the dahara akasha in the Upanishads

• The appearance of a temple is intended to create a kind of heaven on Earth, where worshippers can be still and find the truth within themselves

• This belief means that worship can take place wherever a Hindu is and does not rely on a shrine or building