How do Hindus Worship? Aim: To understand how Hindus worship in private and public (L3/4). PLTS: team worker

Connections 3 Monotheism

Who goes there? What is this? Where is it? When do people go there? Why do people go there? This is the Neasden Mandir, a Hindu place of worship. It is located in Brent, near London in England. It is the largest Hindu Mandir outside of India. It is important to remember that Hindus live all over the world, so mandirs are found wherever Hindus live. The largest mandir in Oldham is called the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, which was opened in 1977.

Mandir – A Place of Worship A Hindu mandir (temple) is believed to be the earthly home of the deities and the place where they wait for their worshippers. As such, temples are sacred spaces where people can be with their god. Many temples in India look like palaces this is not surprising, as deities are often considered kings! In India there would be different temples for different deities, in England there is more than one deity in each temple – why?

What's in the box?

Looking After the Gods Hindus believe that if proper care is not taken of the temple’s deity, they will abandon the temple. Priests live at the temple and take care of the deity’s needs. Each day the deity is washed, their clothes are changed and offerings (e.g. fresh flowers/fruit) are brought to them.

TEAM WORKER TASK Map from memory! Work in your team to recreate the image. Think about your strategy before you begin. Who will win?

Worship at Home -Puja The heart of every Hindu home is its shrine: the sacred space set apart for honouring and worshiping their deity. Devout Hindus may visit their temple every day but others may go there only to request a favour from the deity or on festival days. Temple worship needs a priest to speak to the deity for you, therefore a lot of Hindus prefer to worship at home. Why do you think this is?

Hindu shrines in homes

Mini Research Task Key Words Find out what the following words mean using MRWH p32-35 Puja Bhajan Arti Tilak To hear an example of a bhajan visit… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9t7c5bk-pQ

Label the puja tray in your book Label the puja tray in your book. Remember to explain what each item symbolises and what it is used for.

mandir, shrine, murti, puja, meditation, bhajan, arti, tilak Imagine you are a young Hindu. Write a letter to a Christian friend describing how and why you worship at home. Try to include the following key words… mandir, shrine, murti, puja, meditation, bhajan, arti, tilak Extension: Compare Hindu worship with another religion (eg. Christianity) – what are the similarities and differences between the two? Create a Venn diagram in your book to help you. mandir, shrine, murti, puja, meditation, bhajan, arti, tilak

Level 4 Identify each item of the Puja Tray and tell me why each item is included in Hindu worship.

Understanding You can use key words to tell me what would be found on a Hindu Puja Tray. You can tell me why each item would be found there.

Plenary - Discussion Someone once said… ‘A family who prays together stays together.’ Explain what you think the person meant and say whether you agree, giving reasons for your answer.