Pūjā or alternative transliteration Pooja, (Devanagari: पूजा) (Sanskrit: reverence, honour, adoration, or worship) is a religious ritual performed by Hindus as an offering to various deities, distinguished persons, or special guests. It is done on a variety of occasions and settings, from daily puja done in the home, to temple ceremonies and large festivals, or to begin a new venture.[1] Puja is modeled on the idea of giving a gift or offering to a deity or important person and receiving their blessing (Ashirbad). The two main areas where puja is performed is in the home and at public temples. There are many variations in scale, offering, and ceremony.[2] Puja is also performed on special occasions such as Durga Puja and Lakshmi Puja. The puja ritual is performed by Hindus worldwide. Various poojas are performed at various times of the day and on various occasions.
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Temple pujas are more elaborate and typically done several times a day. They are also performed by a temple priest, or pujari. In addition, the temple deity (patron god or goddess) is considered a resident rather than a guest, so the puja is modified to reflect that; for example the deity is "awakened" rather than "invoked" in the morning. Temple pujas vary widely from region to region and for different sects, with devotional hymns sung at Vaishnava temples for example. At a temple puja, there is often less active participation, with the priest acting on behalf of others.[1]
A full home or temple puja can include several traditional upacaras or "attendances". The following is an example puja that can vary according to tradition, setting, or time:[1] food, drink or everyday objects may be offered. Indologist Jan Gonda has identified 16 steps (shodasha upachara) that are common in all varieties of puja:[3]
Sometimes additional steps are included:
There are variations in this puja method such as:
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