the erect phallus symbol of Shiva surrounded by
the round YONI representing the goddess’s sexual
organ. For Vaishnavites the icon is a full represen-
tation of VISHNU in one of his forms; for SHAKTAS it
is an image of the great GODDESS.
Often the inner sanctum of the temple, its
most holy spot, holds a small, typically modest
icon. The more elaborate statues and images are
usually located in the larger temple precincts.
Large temples often boast a huge array of images of
gods and goddesses, usually depicting a particular
event in their story. One might see, for instance,
NARASIMHA, the man-lion AVATA R of Vishnu, rip-
ping apart his demon foe HIRANYAKASHIPU, or see
Shiva in his pose as the divine dancer, NATARAJA.
PUJA, the regular worship service including
offerings and rites, is usually performed before
the central icon at fixed times during the day.
For a donation, devotees can dedicate certain
features of a regular puja, such as the recitation
of a particular MANTRA. They may also pay for
pujas to be conducted by BRAHMIN priests at other
times, simple or elaborate at their discretion, in
support of certain prayers or pleas to the divinity.
A woman might want to have a son, a man might
want to gain success in business, or a student
might seek success in exams. All worldly and sal-
vational requests are taken to the divinity of the
temple; popular temples are thronged with people
year round.
The puja consists, at the minimum, of fruit,
water, and flower offerings to the divinity, accom-
panied by the appropriate mantras. No puja is
done without the ARATI, or waving of a lighted
lamp before the divinity. At the end of the ritual
people may step forward and waft the smoke
from the lamp over their head or face to receive
the blessing of the divinity. In certain temples
one may receive a little of the food that had been
offered to the divinity, called PRASADA, which will
confer blessing when eaten.
Most temples in India, including all of the
well-known temples, allow only Brahmins to
perform the rituals. There are smaller and larger
shrines all over the country, however, who have
non-Brahmin and even SHUDRA (low-caste) priests.
These are usually temples serving a smaller local
community. By law, any member of any caste
may enter any temple in India. Nevertheless, in
practice Dalits (UNTOUCHABLES) are often barred.
Certain temples admit only Hindus; Muslims and
Christians will be excluded if they are identified. A
famous case of temple exclusion took place when
Indira Gandhi, prime minister of India, visited
the JAGANNATH temple at Puri. She was excluded
because she was married to a non-Hindu.
Many great Hindu temples deserve mention:
the VISHVANATHA TEMPLE to Shiva in the holy city
BENARES (Varanasi); the famous KALI temple at
Kali Ghat in Calcutta (Kolkata); the JAGANNATH
TEMPLE to KRISHNA in Puri; the temple for the god-
dess Kamakshi at KANCHIPURAM; the BRIHADISHVARA
temple to Shiva in Tanjore; the MEENAKSHI TEMPLE
to the goddess Minakshi and the Shrirangam
temple to VISHNU, both in Tamil Nadu.
Most Jains also worship at temples. These
can be quite elaborate, as at MT. ABU, or smaller
buildings. The puja is similar to the Hindu puja in
these Jain contexts, but since the TIRTHANKARAS,
the exalted personages who are worshipped, are
not gods, but human beings, there is no PRASADA or
“blessed food” given, and technically no blessing
can be given by the image or personage. Instead,
worship is aimed largely at instilling values that
will lead devotees toward the yogic perfection of
the Tirthankara being worshipped.
Sikhs have only the Golden Temple at AMRIT-
SAR, where the holy book of the Sikhs, Granth
Sahib, is enshrined. Sikhs also have gurudwaras,
or “entranceways to the guru,” all over the world.
These meeting places welcome anyone, but there
is no iconic worship or puja there.
Recently many Hindu temples, Jain temples,
and Sikh gurudwaras have been established in the
West. They often have unusual features, as at the
Shiva-Vishnu Temple in Livermore, California,
where both Shiva and Vishnu are worshipped side
by side. The Western temples are usually built intemple 441 J