Yajna

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

300px|thumb|Ashvamedha yajna of Yudhisthira The Ashvamedha () was a horse sacrifice ritual followed by the Śrauta tradition of Vedic religion. It was used by ancient Indian kings to prove their imperial sovereignty: a horse accompanied by the king's warriors would be released to wander for a year. In the territory traversed by the horse, any rival could dispute the king's authority by challenging the warriors accompanying it. After one year, if no enemy had managed to kill or capture the horse, the animal would be guided back to the king's capital. It would be then sacrificed, and the king wou

Agnihotra (IAST: Agnihotra, Devnagari: अग्निहोत्र) refers to the yajna of offering ghee into the sacred fire as per strict rites, and may include twice-daily heated milk offering made by those in the Śrauta tradition. The ritual has been described by P.E. Dumont as a "fertility charm", and as a "solar charm" which symbolically preserved and created the sun at nightfall and sunrise.

offering made into fire in Indian religions

thumb|400px|King Yudhishthira, a character in the [[Mahabharata, performs the rajasuya sacrifice]] Rajasuya () is a śrauta ritual of the Vedic religion. It is ceremony that marks a consecration of a king. According to the Puranas, it refers to a great sacrifice performed by a Chakravarti – universal monarch, in which the tributary princes may also take part, at the time of his coronation, as a mark of his undisputed sovereignty.

thumb thumb

Religious ritual in Hinduism

thumb|Nambudiri|Nambūdiri Brahmins performing śrauta homa rites

avatar of Vishnu as embodiment of Sacrifice

thumb|Putrakameshti performed by King Dhasharatha-Rishyashringa performed the holy sacrifice and the final day of the event, a dark skinned deity appeared from sacrificial altar and handed over a vessel of payasam to Dasharatha. Putrakameshti () is a special yajna performed in Hinduism for the sake of bearing children. It is classified under a series of rituals called the kamya-karma.

Vedic sacrificial altar

Kamyakarma () refers to those karmas (deeds) in Hinduism that are prudential in nature, motivated by the desire for a given outcome. Unlike the nitya karmas, the Shastras do not require daily or regular observance of these rituals. They are generally performed for the sake of their intended results. A few kamyakarmas are listed below: Putrakameshti Agnistoma Agnicayana

The Somayajna () or Somayaga (ISO: ) or Soma sacrifice is a Hindu ritual. It is a type of Yajna associated with the lunar cycle, and regarded to be performed for the maintenance of the cosmic order.