pooja

Puja, also spelled pooja or puja, is a ritual of worship in Hinduism and in other Indian religions that involves prayers, offerings, and devotion to a deity, guru, or sacred symbol. It can be performed at home, in a temple, or in public spaces and may be conducted alone, with family, or with a community. The term pūjā comes from Sanskrit and means reverence, honor, or homage.

Common elements of puja include inviting the deity with an invocation, presenting offerings such as flowers, fruit, water, and food (naivedya), lighting lamps and incense, and performing arati, the ritual circling of a lit lamp before the deity. Prasad, the blessed food offered during the rite, is distributed afterward. Ritual purity, correct procedures, and spoken mantras or prayers often accompany the practice, though exact steps vary across communities and traditions.

Domestic puja is widespread, with households maintaining a dedicated altar or puja room for daily worship and seasonal ceremonies. Temple puja is typically more elaborate and may be conducted by priests, featuring elaborate chants, processions, and special offerings during festivals. Different traditions emphasize various deities—Vaishnavism centers on Vishnu and his avatars, Shaivism on Shiva, and Shaktism on the Goddess—while Jain and Buddhist contexts include analogous devotional practices directed toward Tirthankaras or bodhisattvas.

Puja serves to express devotion (bhakti), gratitude, and reverence, and to seek blessings, auspiciousness, or spiritual focus. It highlights ritual discipline, symbolic offerings, and the reaffirmation of relationships between devotee, divinity, and community.