Along with this individual form of worship they may also worship in temple called a mandir with their faith community and a priest
Worshippers take off their shoes before they enter out of respect
There is a river or other supply of water so people can wash before worship
They make offerings to the murti of fruit, nuts, flowers or small sums of money .
Beside daily worship they also fulfill these 5 daily duties:
1.) Worshipping God - part of their day to ensure spiritual contact
2.) Reciting scripture - by doing so they learn religious lessons 3.) Honouring parents and elders - these people are honoured for
their wisdom and self sacrifice
4.) Helping the poor- even the less fortunate try to help those worse off than themselves, guests are treated with special care
5.) Feeding animals- all life is a sacred part of one God so animals must be respected and cared for
Almost all Hindus keep a home shrine regardless of economic background and they vary in size from a room to a corner of a bedroom.
They are trained in the use of water (to purify themselves before worship of barriers that prevent interaction with sacred powers), fire, flowers, meditation, prayers, scents and sounds to create an appropriate puja place.
Puja refers to acts of worship paid to a god or goddess
Tarpana refers to an offering of food or flowers
Japa is the repetitious chanting of favorite deity
Mantras are sacred phrases that are chanted and are given by a guru
Bhajan is a hymn used in worship, usually from the Vedas
Homa is the placing of ghee (clarified butter) into a fire
Murti refers to an image in which the Divine Spirit is expressed and is a point of devotional and meditational focus and is worthy of worship.
All the senses are engaged in puja: The devotee sees the manifestation
of the god in the murti They smell the flowers and incense They hear chants, bells and prayers
are said with their ears Offerings of food are touched and tasted after the puja is complete