What is Puja?
Puja is the act of showing reverence to
a god, a spirit, or another aspect of the divine through invocations,
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.
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A
Brahmin priest along side Nataraja and Ganesha in the Sri
Ekambaranathar Temple in Kanchipuram doling out blessings. The
temple is a pilgrimage temple for women who wish to have children.
It is supposedly the site of Shiva and Parvati's wedding and is
therefore renown for its fertility power.
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During
puja an image or other symbol of the god serves as a means of gaining
access to the divine. This icon is not the deity itself; rather,
it is believed to be filled with the deity's cosmic energy. It is
a focal point for honoring and communicating with the god. For the
devout Hindu, the icon's artistic merit is important, but is secondary
to its spiritual content. The objects are created as receptacles
for spiritual energy that allow the devotee to experience direct
communication with his or her gods. |
Where is puja held?
Hindus commonly conduct pujas in shrines in three different environments: in
temples, in the home, and in outdoor public spaces. It is equally
common for any of the deities to be worshiped in any of these three types of
shrines.
Hindus believe that if
proper care is not taken of a temple's images, the deity will abandon the
temple. Hence priests reside at the temple and take care of the gods'
needs. Priests perform puja at sunrise, noon, sunset, and midnight.
For a layperson, however, visiting a temple every day or even regularly is
not mandatory, and many devout Hindus worship at home. The essential
aspect of puja is not congregational worship but an individual's offering to
a deity. Worship in the home usually takes place daily.
Puja in a Temple
A Hindu temple is believed to be the earthly seat of a deity and the place
where the deity waits for its devotees. As such, temple structures are
sacred spaces where gods partake of human offerings and in which the people
can be with the gods. Many temples resemble palace architecture; this
is not surprising, as deities are often considered kings.
Temples are normally
dedicated to one primary god. Often they are elaborately decorated on the
outside with stone or plaster carvings depicting religious stories, and
their decoration is specific to the deity being worshiped.
Mythological scenes are juxtaposed with scenes of everyday life and
important political events, such as royal coronations, conquests, and
celebrations, or with portraits of royal and secular patrons. These
divine images and mythological scenes on the outer walls of the temple help
worshipers recall the sacred stories they have heard or read.
One should remove one's
shoes before entering a Hindu temple in order to pay appropriate respect to
the deity within the temple.
The innermost sanctuary
of the temple contains the principal image of the deity. The character
of each shrine is determined by the deity being worshiped.
Home worship
The heart of every Hindu home is its shrine: the sacred space set apart for
honoring and worshiping the
gods. While a particularly devout
Hindu may visit a temple every day, others go there only to request a favor
of the deity, to fulfill specific vows, or on festival days. The
pujas
that take place in the household shrine are the foundation of all family
actions and decisions. Temple worship requires the intervention of a
priest, but in the home the contact between devotee and deity is direct.
The size and decoration
of a household shrine do not matter. The shrine may be large and
impressive, an entire room or a beautifully designed edifice, or it may be
simply a tiny niche, or even just a row of religious prints pasted on a
wall.
Although children grow up following family beliefs, they are encouraged as
young adults to make their own choices of which gods or goddesses they find
personally inspiring. Consequently, household shrines contain images
of deities that pertain to the belief systems of all a home's inhabitants,
and it is not uncommon to find several small individual shrines in one
household.
Puja is usually performed
by at least one member of the household every day. Puja is a means of
honoring the
gods or goddesses, whose presence in the
home is believed to protect the family and to engender good fortune.
The paraphernalia used include an incense burner and a tray with flowers,
fruits, and food.
When do Hindus
worship?
Hindu worship may take place whenever
an individual wishes. Worship is usually performed daily at each
household shrine by one or more family members on behalf of the whole
household. Temple worship is often associated with a particular
request being made of the deity, or it may follow the granting of that wish.
Festivals to each of the gods take place during the year, and a follower of
a certain deity may choose to participate in the ceremonies associated with
that deity either at home or in a temple.
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A
priest uses a fire to purify ash before dispersing the ash to
devotees in front of the Nataraja Temple in Chidambaram. The
ash is then spread on the forehead of the devotee. |
How is puja celebrated?
Wherever puja is performed it includes three important components: the
seeing of the deity; puja, or worship, which includes offering flowers,
fruits, and foods; and retrieving the blessed food and consuming it.
By performing these sacred acts the worshiper creates a relationship
with the divine through his or her emotions and senses.
During a
household puja, the head of the household chants prayers to the god or
goddess. The worshipers offer the deity a seat, wash its feet, and
give it water. An image may be symbolically bathed, clothed in new garments,
and embellished with ornaments. Perfumes and ointments may be applied,
and flowers and garlands may be placed before it. Incense is burned,
and a lighted lamp is waved in front of the deity. Foods such as
cooked rice, fruit, butter, and sugar are offered. Family members bow
before the image, sip the water they have given the god, and receive a
portion of cooked food. The food and water are now considered to have been
blessed by the deity for the devotees.
At the temple, where the gods are believed to dwell as royalty, puja is
usually performed at sunrise, noon, sunset, and midnight. Worshipers
may also arrange for a puja to be done by a priest to mark a special event
such as a birth or death or to ask for a particular favor.
Puja is a
multi-sensory experience. One observes the offering of the lighted
lamps, touches the ritual objects and feet of the deity (where possible),
hears the ringing of the bells and the sacred chants being recited, smells
the incense, and tastes the blessed food offered at the end of the ritual.
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How are sculptures incorporated into
worship?
Hindu sacred sculptures
are used to help devotees
understand the incomprehensible divinity. These images may be
anthropomorphic-that is, having a human likeness-or they may be
abstract. Whether made of clay or of gold, all these sculptures
are considered equally sacred. Hindu images serve as visual
metaphors to express the invisible divine reality.
Although many
images of Hindu gods, goddesses, and saints are believed to be always filled
with the spirit of the deity they represent, others are bathed and dressed
to invite the deity or saint to enter the image temporarily. The
bronze sculpture below depicts the saint Sundara and his wife,
Parvati, followers of the
god Shiva. On the right it is shown
dressed as it would be when carried through the streets of a southern Indian
city during a
religious festival. For most of the year,
an image such as this is kept in its own shrine in a large temple. Once a
year during an elaborate puja, it is washed with sacred water, then with
milk, yogurt, honey, sandalwood paste, and ashes before being dressed in
ceremonial robes. It is lavishly adorned with garlands of flowers and
may also be decorated with jewelry.
Priests then
invoke the spirit of the deity or saint depicted to enter the bronze.
For the duration of the ceremony the image is thought to contain the divine
being's presence. In an elaborate procession many sacred images are paraded
through the streets accompanied by thousands of devotees. Hindus believe
that even a glimpse of an image filled with the spirit of the god or saint
facilitates a direct visual communication (
darshan
) with the deity, which will bring blessings to the worshiper. Darshan
is a reciprocal act between the worshiper and the deity. Not only does
the devotee "see" the deity, but the deity is understood to "see" the
worshiper. For this reason, Hindu images often have strikingly large
eyes to facilitate this exchange of glances between devotee and deity.
Sundara was an
eighth-century follower of the
god Shiva whose focused devotion and
performance of countless miracles with
Shiva's aid were greatly responsible for
the spread of the worship of Shiva in southern India. His wife,
Parvati, is honored for her steadfast
loyalty to both her god and her husband.
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A Nataraja Sculpture
completely clothed in the finest silk and adorned with flowers in
the Sri Ekambaranathar Temple in Kanchipuram. |
All
photographs taken by the owner of Lotus Sculpture, Kyle Tortora.
Article
adapted from
www.asia.si.edu
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