Hindu Places of Worship (AQA GCSE Religious Studies A (8062))
Revision Note
Written by: Glenn Millington
Reviewed by: Bridgette Barrett
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
Source of wisdom and authority | What does it mean? |
|---|---|
“If one offers to me with devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit, or even water, I delightfully partake of that article offered with love by my devotee in pure consciousness. (Bhagavad Gita 9.26)” | When a Hindu worships, it is not the cost of the offering but the love of the devotee that pleases the gods and goddesses |
“Therefore, giving up attachment, perform actions as a matter of duty, for by working without being attached to the fruits, one attains the Supreme. (Bhagavad Gita 3.19)” | When a person worships, they should not think of getting a reward. Coming close to ‘the divine’ or ‘the Supreme’ happens when a Hindu is unselfish in their worship and gives up their attachments |
“In this world, there is nothing as purifying as divine knowledge. One who has attained purity of mind through prolonged practice of Yoga, receives such knowledge within the heart, in due course of time. (Bhagavad Gita 4.38)” | Knowledge of Ultimate Reality (Brahman) comes when a person purifies their mind through disciplined yoga or spiritual practice. After a time, they will receive pure divine knowledge in their heart |
“To practise Yoga, one should make a seat in a sanctified place, by placing grass, deer skin, and a cloth, one over the other. The seat should be neither too high nor too low. Seated firmly on it, the yogi [yoga practitioner] should strive to purify the mind by focusing it in meditation with one pointed concentration, controlling all thoughts and activities. (Bhagavad Gita 6.11–12)” | These instructions for meditation will help the worshipper to still the body and concentrate the mind. In this kind of spiritual practice, a person can control their thinking and body so that they can receive divine knowledge in their heart |
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:
Objects | Use in worship | Sensations |
|---|---|---|
Bell | To awaken the god or goddess and symbolise the beginning of the worship | Hearing |
Food | To make a gift, fruit or other food is placed in the shrine as an offering to the deity | Tasting |
Murti | Viewing an image of the god or goddess being worshipped | Seeing |
Incense and flowers | Burning incense sticks fill the room with scent, symbolising the presence of the deity. Flowers are often placed in the shrine to honour the deity | Smelling |
Kum-kum powder | Making a coloured mark on the worshipper’s forehead shows honour to the deity and reminds the worshipper of their devotion throughout the day | Touching |
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
Worked Example
Give two reasons why Hindus might worship at home
[2 marks]
Answer:
One reason a Hindu might worship at home is because the home might have a shrine to a particular deity that is important to that family or for a particular purpose (2 marks)
Another reason might be that Hindus believe in the ‘space of the heart’ meaning they believe Brahman is within all living things and would therefore believe that worship does not have to be within the temple to be meaningful and effective (2 marks)
Reasoning:
The two ways given in this response clearly explain the reasons why Hindus might worship at home, so the response is fully focused on the aim of the question. Both points are well-developed and so each is awarded two marks
Examiner Tips and Tricks
You may have to evaluate the importance of the temple or the home as a place of worship
For example,
‘For Hindus, the best place to worship is in a temple’
Evaluate this statement
In your answer you should:
refer to Hindu teaching
give reasoned arguments to support this statement
give reasoned arguments to support a different point of view
reach a justified conclusion [12 marks]
Arguments in support of the statement could include:
The temple is the perfect atmosphere and aids worship
The decoration encourages devotional attitude
Provides a number of shrines to allow a wide-range of offerings and requests
Temples are managed by priests who are trained to understand the scripture, but particularly to be able to carry out all the Hindu rituals
Temple encourages greater devotion as the worshipper has to physically attend the temple and will usually engage in worship with full focus on that
Arguments in support of alternative viewpoints could include;
Brahman is everywhere hence anywhere may be appropriate for worship
The important thing is the attitude as the Bhagavad Gita says, ‘People may worship me in whatever form they wish. The form does not matter to me; only the quality of the love which is expressed in worship’ (Bhagavad Gita)
It is not always possible to get to the temple for example, those who have jobs may have to choose their time to worship at the temple
Every Hindu home has a shrine to which Hindus make offerings every morning and many Hindus make offerings of all food during the day to this shrine and this suggests the home shrine is the most important place for Hindu worship
Hinduism has many focuses for worship from Brahman to deities to rivers to plants etc and the crucial thing is the focus of worship not the place where it happens
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