Download The Hindu Mandir

The Hindu Mandir
The House of God
The Lesson objectives
Last lesson you explored worship in the home through the act of Puja
In today's lesson you will look at worship in the Mandir itself
By the end of the next two lessons you will be able
to:
• Explain the symbolism of the design of a Mandir.
• Explain how the Mandir shows the importance of
Brahman
• Evaluate the statement “ spending lots of time
and money on designing a place of worship is a
waste of time and money”
This is the outside of the Mandir at
Neasden in London
Notice the high
domes. All
Hindu Mandirs
have these.
What do you
think the dome
might be a
symbol for?
What words come into your
mind when you see this
image?
How would you describe it?
The outside of the Mandir
• The Mandir is usually very ornate often with
carvings of the different murtis on the outside.(
decorated) .
• This is a sign of respect – the Mandir is the
“house of God” , the place where Hindus go to
feel especially close to Brahman.
• The Mandirs often look like a palace as
Brahman is like a King – all powerful and
almighty
• The roof is often like a dome – it stretches up
over the main shrine room to show that it is here
that Hindus can reach “up” to God.
Inside the Mandir
• When you first enter the Mandir you must
remove your shoes and place them on the
racks provided.
• Why do you think this might be?
The Shrine room itself
What do you
notice about
this room?
What words
would you
use to
describe it?
The Shrine room
• The heart of the Mandir is the shrine room.
• In here are the Murtis
• Each temple has a priest ( Brahmin) who looks
after the Murtis. It is his job to wash , dress and
feed the Murtis each day
• When a Hindu enters the temple they will often
put an offering in front of the Shrine as a sign of
respect.
• They will often bow or lay down in front of the
image of God as a sign of respect.
Arti worship
• At Arti the start of Arti worship the Brahmin will ring a bell
to show that worship will begin
• All worshippers will be seated on the floor. Some will
prostrate ( lay down)
• Hymns will be chanted or sung – they are called
Bahjans. The words give praise to Brahman
• The Brahmin will bring around a tray on which there will
be an arti lamp. The worshipper will waft their hands
over the lamp and then over their heads – it shows the
idea that they are allowing Brahman into their heart6s
and minds
• The worshipper will often put a coin onto the tray as an
offering to the temple.
Your Task
Your task is to create a guide to a Mandir. In it you must include the
Following things:
1) What a Mandir is
2) What happens in a Mandir
3) Why Mandirs are important to Hindus.
Make your guides colourful and interesting.
This is a marked piece of work so plan your ideas carefully and make
Sure you present your work to the best of your ability.