Hindu Religious Food

Hindu Religious Food

Hindu Religious Food

The core of the Hindu temple is the garbhagriha or the sanctum sanctorum. The deity is placed here. The room is small and, as its name suggests, it is womb like. In certain temples the devotees are allowed to enter the garbhagriha for worship. This is especially true of Shiva lingas, where the rituals involve ablutions with milk and water. In other temples the darshana is done from the entrance of the garbhagriha. Darshana entails seeing the Supreme God and receiving His blessings through the medium of the idol. After the darshana it is customary to give the pradakshina. Devotees circumambulate the garbhagriha. Usually this is done from outside the garbhagriha. Therefore statues and paintings adorn the outside walls so that the devotees get a sense of God while performing the pradakshina.

The Horizontal Axis

The horizontal axis of the temples lies from the garbhagriha to the main gate. The temple is usually symmetric about this axis. Several important features lie along this axis.