A NEW EXPERIENCE AT

A HINDU TEMPLE!

Melissa Gonzalez

Anthropology

Dr. Leanna Wolfe

This is the inside of the Hindu temple. It is surrounded by the deities, and decorated with very colorful offerings. Temples are

often sought as quiet places for meditation. Worship can be done in front of altars at home, and can be done at a temple too.

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I was given a small picture of a deity and was handed flowers to

perform rituals called Pujas.Pujas include prayers, prayer rituals, and offerings.

Hindu women traditionally saris to the temple. Nowadays, it is usually worn by elderly or rural women. Young women in urban areas don't prefer wearing saris.

Fruits are also used as offerings. Usually after the rituals the

Hindu people eat them.

Darshanis an important aspect of Hindu worship. In large

temples where there are a large number of attendants, the image is woken up in the

morning and washed, fed and prepared with flowers and

incense before it is placed on its throne in the shrine room.

This is a woman making flowers to decorate around the deities. It

is put around the deities as offerings. Offerings generally

symbolize one of the five element of existence: earth, water, fire, wind and earth.

Hindus believe that fire is sacred. Deities are honored, and prayers are often made with the lighting of incense or oil lamps.

To them fire is symbolic of internal power.

The woman are singing and chanting. Hindus believe that chanting the names of deities

will speed up their path to salvation and help them achieve

moshka and escape from reincarnation.

Offerings like fruit, flowers, and candles, honey are usually put around the deity and people

usually walk in front and pray.

This is where they display all the deities. It is considered very

sacred. It is always decorated with flowers and incense.