puja
Ritual deity offering
Puja is a Hindu worship ritual in which offerings such as flowers, food, incense, and light are presented to a deity or sacred image.
The practice ranges from simple daily devotions performed at home shrines to elaborate temple ceremonies conducted by priests.
Puja may honor gods like Vishnu or Shiva, but also ancestors or spiritual teachers.
The term extends to similar devotional practices in Buddhism and Jainism.
We attended the morning puja at the temple.
Hindu light ceremony
- mantraRepeated focus phrase
- chantingRhythmic repetitive vocalization
- offeringsThings presented or given
- incenseAnger greatly, or aromatic resin
ghee · tilak · conch · camphor · bell · flowers · coconut · sandalwood
Sacred ritual table
- shrineSacred devotional place
- sanctumProtected private place
- templeSacred worship structure
- deityWorshipped supernatural being
idol · sanctity · divinity · holiness · consecration · blessing · darshan · sanctuary
Address to deity
- reverenceProfound admiring respect
- venerationProfound admiring respect
- adorationProfound loving regard
- meditationFocused attention practice
faith · piety · devotion · fervor · surrender · gratitude · humility · sincerity
Hindu learned man
Organized public celebration
- DiwaliHindu festival of lights
- NavratriNine-night Hindu festival
- weddingMarriage rite and feast
- birthComing into the world
harvest · fasting · celebration · pilgrimage · yatra
aarti
Hindu light ceremony
- mantraRepeated focus phrase
- chantingRhythmic repetitive vocalization
- offeringsThings presented or given
incense · ghee · tilak · conch · camphor · bell · flowers · coconut · sandalwood · vermillion
altar
Sacred ritual table
deity · idol · sanctity · divinity · holiness · consecration · blessing · darshan · sanctuary · sacred space
prayer
Address to deity
- reverenceProfound admiring respect
- venerationProfound admiring respect
- adorationProfound loving regard
meditation · faith · piety · devotion · fervor · surrender · gratitude · humility · sincerity · invocation
pandit
Hindu learned man
officiant · congregation · family · household
festival
Organized public celebration
birth · harvest · fasting · celebration · pilgrimage · yatra
pujablasphemy
Irreverence toward the sacred
sacrilege · desecration · iconoclasm · profanation · impiety