Puja, Temples and Home Shrines

Hindu worship, called puja, often takes place at home as much as in temples. A family shrine may hold images (murti) of chosen deities, which worshippers greet, bathe, dress and offer flowers, food, light and incense to. Many Hindus understand the murti as a place where the divine is present, not merely a symbol, while some reform movements such as the Arya Samaj rejected image worship altogether. A central moment is darshan, seeing and being seen by the deity.

Temples are designed as cosmic diagrams, with a dark inner sanctum (garbhagriha) beneath a towering spire, and regional styles differ: northern nagara temples have curved shikharas, while southern dravida temples have stepped vimanas and great gateway towers called gopurams. Priests perform rituals on behalf of worshippers, but there is no required weekly congregation. This flexibility helps explain how Hindu practice adapts to homes, villages and diaspora communities worldwide.