Puja (Hinduism)

A mantra ( ; Pali: mantra) or mantram (Devanagari: मन्त्रम्) is a sacred utterance, a numinous sound, a syllable, word or phonemes, or group of words (most often in an Indo-Iranian language like Sanskrit or Avestan) believed by practitioners to have religious, magical or spiritual powers. Some mantras have a syntactic structure and a literal meaning, while others do not.

300px|thumb|A yagna being performed by Nambudiris of [[Kerala]]

prayer ritual performed by Hindus of devotional worship

In the Hindu tradition, a murti (, ) is a devotional image, such as a statue or icon, of a deity or saint used during puja and/or in other customary forms of actively expressing devotion or reverence – whether at Hindu temples or shrines. A mūrti is a symbolic icon representing divinity for the purpose of devotional activities. Thus, not all icons of gods and saints are mūrti; for example, purely decorative depictions of divine figures often adorn Hindu temple architecture in intricately carved doorframes, on colourfully painted walls, and ornately sculpted rooftop domes. A mūrti itself is not

thumb|Bhajan in Coimbatore, [[Tamil Nadu, during Navratri Golu.]]

thumb|Painting of Gaudiya Vaishnavism|Gaudiya Vaishnava Hindus performing kirtan in [[Bengal. Some traditions practice public kirtan.]] thumb|Sikhs|Sikh kirtan with [[Indian harmoniums and tabla drums (a common and popular pairing), in Kenya (1960s)]]

right|thumb|200px|Naivedya offered to Radha Krishna in Sri Maya Chandrodaya Mandir in [[Mayapur, India]]

thumb|Abhisheka ritual with Panchamrita being conducted over a Hindu shrine Abhishek () is a religious rite or method of prayer in which a devotee pours a liquid offering on an image or murti of a deity. This is common to religions such as Jainism, Hinduism, Buddhism.

oil or ghee based candle from South Asia

thumb|The Pūrṇa-Kalaśa or Pūrṇa-Ghaṭa with "Padmotpalakumudvat" - overflowing pot with Nelumbo|Padma (lotus), Utpala (blue water-lily) and Kumuda (white water-lily), 1st century BCE depiction.

thumb|360px|Buddhist monks performing Pradakshina ritual at Borobudur, Central Java, Indonesia

thumb|The ingredients of panchamrita: (clockwise from bottom right) milk, curd, sugar (or jaggery), honey and ghee

thumb|A pujari performing the puja rituals in Varanasi, [[India.]] Pūjari is a designation given to a Hindu temple priest who performs pūja. The word comes from the Sanskrit word "पूजा" meaning worship. They are responsible for performing temple rituals, including pūjā and aarti. Pujari are mainly drawn from the Brahmin varna.

Hindu religious hymn in Hindi

Dhupa (धुप) is, in Indian religions (such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, etc.), the ritual offering of incense during puja to an image of a deity, or other object of veneration. It is also the Sanskrit word for incense or perfume itself.

thumb|Pushpanjali to an Aikya Linga in Varanasi Pushpanjali (Sanskrit:पुष्पाञ्जलि, literally folded hands full of flowers) is an offering of flowers to Hindu deities.

Bhoga () is a Sanskrit term meaning "enjoyment; pleasure; experience". Etymologically, bhoga is derived from the root bhuj-, meaning to "enjoy", "consume" or "relish". Bhoga in general usage refers to the consecrated food offering to a deity or enjoyment of worldly pleasures.