Dear friends,
We are opening up the opportunity for everyone to participate online in a free ritual, which will take place on April 29th at the Subramanya Temle Eruthavoor in Trivandrum, Kerala, South India.
To participate, please provide your name, nakshatra (birth star), and email address.
You can register until April 27th.
There are several types of ceremonies in Indian temples.
The main ones are divided into 3 types:
- Archana
- Pooja
- Homa/yagya/havan
Archana - "veneration, glorification." This is a ceremony of exalting the symbol or image of the Deity with the utterance of mantras, as well as the name and nakshatra of the one who ordered Archana. Done in front of the appropriate altar during the service.
Pooja - "worship". This is a ceremony of deeper and more intimate appeal to the image or symbol of the Deity with the recitation of a series of mantras, offerings in the form of fruits and flowers, as well as repeated recitation of the name and nakshatra of the one who ordered the Puja. The impact of the puja is considered to be stronger and more lasting than the Archanas.
Homa is a fire ceremony or fire sacrifice (feeding the fire, which gives food to the gods to whom Homa is addressed). Often a separate altar or hearth is built for the homa. This is the most profound, intimate and powerful appeal to the Divine. Homa is usually ordered not for 1 person, but for the whole family.