Puja or pooja (Sanskrit: पूजा, romanized: pūjā) is a worship ritual performed by Hindus, Buddhists and Jains to offer devotional homage and prayer to one or more deities, to host and honor a guest, or to spiritually celebrate an event. It may honor or celebrate the presence of special guests, or their memories after they die. The word pūjā is Sanskrit, and means reverence, …

Kali Puja, also known as Shyama Puja or Mahanisha Puja, is a festival originating from the Indian subcontinent, dedicated to the Hindu goddess Kali.It is celebrated on the new moon day (Dipannita Amavasya) of the Hindu calendar month of Ashwayuja (according to the amanta tradition) or Kartika (according to the purnimanta tradition). The festival is especially popular in …

Hinduism has a long tradition of arti songs, simply referred to as arti, sung as an accompaniment to the ritual of arti.It primarily eulogizes the deity that the ritual is being offered to, and several sects have their own versions of the common arti songs that are often sung on chorus at various temples, during evening and morning artis. Sometimes they also contain snippets of …

Etymology. Deva is a Sanskrit word found in Vedic literature of 2nd millennium BCE. Monier-Williams translates it as "heavenly, divine, terrestrial things of high excellence, exalted, shining ones". The concept also is used to refer to deity. The Sanskrit deva-derives from Indo-Iranian *daiv-which in turn descends from the Proto-Indo-European word, *deiwo-, originally an …

Diwali (English: / d ɪ ˈ w ɑː l iː /), Dewali, Divali, or Deepavali (IAST: dīpāvalī), also known as the Festival of Lights, related to Jain Diwali, Bandi Chhor Divas, Tihar, Swanti, Sohrai, and Bandna, is a Dharmic religious festival and one of the most important festivals within Hinduism. In Hinduism, it generally lasts five days (or six in some regions of India), and is celebrated ...

The Swaminarayan Sampradaya, also known as Swaminarayan Hinduism and Swaminarayan movement, is a Hindu Vaishnava sampradaya rooted in Ramanuja's Vishishtadvaita, characterized by the worship of its charismatic founder Sahajanand Swami, better known as Swaminarayan (1781–1830), as an avatar of Krishna or as the highest manifestation of …

Pitru Paksha (Sanskrit: पितृ पक्ष, Pitṛ pakṣa; lit. "fortnight of the paternal ancestors") is a 16–lunar day period in Hindu calendar when Hindus pay homage to their ancestors (), especially through food offerings.The period is also known as Pitri Paksha/Pitr-Paksha, Pitri Pokkho, Sorah Shraddha ("sixteen shraddhas"), Kanagat, Jitiya, Mahalaya (in Bengali), Apara Paksha ...

Hinduism. An abhiṣeka is conducted by priests by bathing the image of the deity being worshipped, amidst the chanting of mantras.Usually, offerings such as milk, yogurt, ghee, honey, panchamrita, sesame oil, rose water, sandalwood paste may be poured among other offerings depending on the type of abhishekam being performed. This rite is routinely performed in …

Manasa (Sanskrit: मनसा, romanized: Manasā) is a Hindu goddess of snakes. She is worshipped mainly in Bihar, Bengal, Jharkhand, Lower Assam and other parts of northeastern India and in Uttarakhand, chiefly for the prevention and cure of snakebite, and also for fertility and prosperity.In Hindu mythology, Manasa is the sister of the first two naga kings, Shesha and Vasuki, and the …

Hinduism and Sikhism are Indian religions. Hinduism has pre-historic origins, while Sikhism was founded in the 15th century by Guru Nanak. Both religions share many philosophical concepts such as Karma, Dharma, Mukti, Maya although both religions have different interpretation of some of these concepts. In the days of the Mughal Empire, the Sikh …