RELS 131 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Diwali, Navratri, Indian Classical Dance
13 Apr 2016
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The vedic literature contains no indication of temple worship: in the north old temples were destroyed by muslim rulers or by various invaders, worship at public shrines were established in the early fifth century. Priest prays on behalf of the devotees, offering fruits and food and prayer to the deity and gives back some of the blessed objects to the worshippers (prasada= blessed food, a gift from the deity) Many hindus believe that the image in the temple is not a symbol of god but god himself fully present in image form (the murti is a direct analogue to an avatar of vishnu, rama or. Others believe the images in the temple are only a symbol of higher reality. In many towns and villages there are sacred trees around stone images of snakes which are venerated with spots of red powder (kungumam powder placed on people"s foreheads) Serpents are important in the iconography of shiva and vishnu.
