Where Hindus worship

• A shrine is a sacred space in the home , in a temple or outdoors , used for worshipping deities
• A murti is an image of a deity , used as a focus of worship and offerings
• The Upanishads recommend performing yoga and meditation
• The Bhagavad Gita describes a path of knowledge through reading holy books
• The Bhagavad Git describes a path of action through exercises that focus the mind and heart on God
• Worship can be performed at a shrine in the home or temple , or in a sacred space outdoors
• The way a person worships is not as important as the love and devotion in their heart
• Another name for a temple is a mandir
• Every village and town in India has at least one temple
• Temple styles vary - Some are very elaborate and are covered with images and scenes from the lives of deities
• The appearance of temples is intended to create a kind of heaven on earth , where worshippers can find a truth within themselves to worship the space of the heart (antaryami)
• Temples decorated with deities are thought to drive of evil forces
• If a temple is large , it will have many priests
• Some holy places such as Varanasi have become temple towns
• A Hindu temple is a sacred place set aside for the worship of deities
• A murti is honoured inside a temple , at a central shrine , as an important royal guest
• Inside a temple , one particularly deity is thought to be the most important , although all the other deities of the local area will be represented
• There is often a special room at the entrance of a temple for the guardian or vehicle of the deity - e.g. Nandi the bull for Shiva