Download Hinduism-A Religion of the Home or the Temple? 1: A religion of the

Hinduism-A Religion of the Home or the Temple?
1: A religion of the home
Much of Hindu religious practice takes place in the home. Normally, a household’s day
begins with the mother performing a ritual or puja with the family’s chosen god as its focus;
while there is no obligation for Hindus to visit the temple every day to do this, there is one to
perform such an act of worship on a daily basis.
During the day, many of the seemingly mundane actions that are carried out can be
transformed into religious ones: food for the family can be cooked while thinking that one is
preparing it as an offering to the gods; the house can be cleaned with the thought that one is
making it ready for a visit from the deity. When the mother is doing this, if she explains to her
children how she is transforming her apparently ordinary actions into religiously significant
ones, then the home is serving as the place where the religious tradition is passed down from
one generation to the next. The day might end with the mother telling her children stories
from the lives of the gods, again passing on the tradition in the home via a seemingly
mundane action.
It is clear from this that Hinduism is actually a way of life rather than just a religion, and one
that influences many of the different aspects of daily family life.
Outside India, Hinduism is forced into a situation of being a religion of the home because
there simply aren’t that many temples for Hindus to visit and perform their religious rituals.
2: A religion of the temple
On the other hand, much of what makes up Hinduism is practiced in the temple: the temple is
a focal point for the Hindu community; it acts as a venue for marriages and is the place where
many of the rituals associated with the important Hindu festivals are performed. The shrines
within these temples are highly decorated and inspire visitors and increase their faith.
Temples often act as a base for teachers or gurus; there they lead worship and give spiritual
teachings. When a Hindu needs advice on religious doctrine or practice, or simply needs help
with a practical problem such as family disharmony, he can visit his guru at the temple and
seek advice. Finally, one well established religious practice is for wealthy Hindus to finance
the building of temples. In this respect, Hinduism isn’t just a religion practiced in the temple:
the actual building of the temple is considered to be the practice of religion.
Is Hinduism a religion of the home or the temple?
Actually, this question is a simplistic one that asks for a ‘black & white’ answer to a very
complex, problematic question. Complex and problematic because, as should be clear from all
the above, religions have both private and social aspects. Thus, some facets of Hinduism are
personal and primarily home-based while others are social and mainly temple-based.
Perhaps the best way to answer it then would be to say that all religions have a personal and a
communal side and that, in Hinduism’s case, at a personal level it is primarily a religion of the
home while, at a communal level, it is primarily a religion of the temple.
KS4 Hinduism Teacher/Student notes:
A Religion of the Home or Temple?
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© G Beesley