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  • Essay / Puja at home and in the temple

    Puja, the Hindu meaning of worship, is the central ritual of popular polytheistic Hinduism (Fuller, 2004, p. 57). It primarily means paying respect or homage to one or more gods through numerous actions that express a wish to please and offer service to the chosen deity and hope for God's blessing in return. The same basic Puja rituals are performed at the home shrine as well as at the temple, one being simple, the other more elaborate and dramatic (Fuller, 2004, p. 63). Puja can be described as an individual act of devotion and everyone performs it in their own way. Some Hindus practice Puja daily while others practice it less often. Daily puja usually involves making offerings to a god and reciting mantras (Symmons, 1998, p. 38). For special occasions, for example to thank God for a new baby, in memory of a deceased loved one or to celebrate a wedding anniversary. In some cases, families may request a priest to perform a special puja depending on the occasion. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Hindus practice puja in a wide range of settings, primarily at home or in a temple. In temples, orpujari priests are normally responsible for performing the ritual in front of images of the deities. The temple puja is more extreme and is performed several times a day. Additionally, the temple deity is seen as a resident rather than a guest, so the puja is adapted to reflect this. When Hindus visit a temple, simply looking at the images to get a “view” or “vision” of the deities is one of the most vital things they do (Fuller, 2004, p. 59). Temple pujas differ significantly from region to region. region and for different sects, for example with devotional hymns sung in Vaishnava temples (Hatcher, 2016, p. 24). At a temple puja, participation is often less active, with the priest acting on behalf of the congregation. Worship in public temples is said to be “for the good of the world” because it is addressed in the name of all to the deities who protect the entire population (Fuller, 2004, p. 62). In private temples owned by families, kinship groups, castes, or other social units, worship is primarily for the benefit of those who own the temple. It could be argued that these forms of worship take on macro and micro properties. The macro being intended for the common good and the micro, private prayer, being more individualistic. When worship is performed by priests, especially in public temples, ordinary worshipers have no active role and the value of the ritual is not affected by the presence or absence of the congregation (Ebaugh and Chafetz, 2000 , p. 232). The congregation is there in an almost observational capacity. However, in all community temples, worship of deities may be conducted through community worship or private devotion. In congregational worship, the priest acts on behalf of the faithful. However, most ordinary people are usually content with simple acts of worship by greeting the deities with gestures of respect and making darhama to them. The rituals that take place as part of daily life in the temple revolve around the daily worship of the deities. , and so they are dressed, bathed and decorated with garlands, receive offerings of food and rest (Anon, 2016). When Hindus visit a temple, it will be for a special purpose or intention or for a festive occasion. They will perform their own individual puja or join in..