Temples and Icons

Hinduism encourages a sensory religious experience in its adherents. This experiential aspect is nowhere more evident than when a Hindu goes to a temple. As religion scholar Diana Eck observes, the devotee doesn’t say, “I am going for worship.” Rather, the devotee asserts, “I am going for darshan.” The Sanskrit word darshan means “to see,” but in the Hindu context it refers specifically to the interlocking gaze shared by the deity and the devotee.

As we learned earlier in this chapter, the image of a god in a temple or a personal shrine at home is not just a representation of the deity; rather, it is imbued with the divine presence. Thus, devotees believe that to see an image of a deity is to see the deity itself. In turn, the gaze of the deity’s image is believed to confer blessings on every person who comes into its presence. In many ways, the act of darshan is often the most meaningful experience for Hindus.

Today, most Hindus go to a local temple or on pilgrimage to a sacred site for darshan. For this reason, the temple is a central religious and cultural institution in Hindu religious practice.

Temples generally house two different kinds of icons. The first type is the main image (or images), which resides at the center of the temple. These images are usually made of stone and are permanently fixed in the shrine. The second type of icon is the processional image, typically cast from an amalgam of five metals. Smaller and more mobile than fixed images, processional images are brought out of temples on special platforms or chariots for temple festivals and are usually adorned in elaborate costumes and jewels. Hindus gather for a darshan in the presence of the divine form embodied in these mobile images.

In temple rites, deities are treated as royal guests. Temple worship usually involves sixteen different offerings. Of these, the most significant is the eighth offering, which involves pouring auspicious substances over the icon. These substances might include scented water, milk, and sandalwood paste. After the ritual, the deity is adorned in ornaments, textiles, and flowers. The temple rituals end with a waving of lamps before the image. For Hindus, this is the ideal moment for darshan.

Divine images can also directly convey religious teachings. For instance, Nataraja, Lord of the Dance, is one of the most iconic forms of Shiva (see the photo on p. 106). In his dance, Nataraja represents what Shaivas call the Five Activities of Shiva, which can also be understood as the five principal manifestations of divine energy: creation, preservation, destruction, illusion, and liberation.