Puja, the Hindu meaning of worship, is the central ritual of popular polytheistic Hinduism (Fuller, 2004, p. 57). It mainly means paying respect or homage to one or more Gods through numerous actions that express the desire to please the chosen deity and offer service to them and hope for God's blessing in return. The same basic Puja rituals are performed in both the home shrine and the temple, one is simple, the other more elaborate and dramatic (Fuller, 2004, p. 63). Puja can be described as an individual act of devotion and each person performs it in his own way. Some Hindus perform Puja every day while others may practice it less often. Daily puja usually involves making offerings to a god and reciting mantras (Symmons, 1998, p. 38). For special occasions, for example to thank God for the birth of a child, in memory of a deceased loved one or to celebrate a wedding anniversary. In some cases, families may request a priest to perform a special puja depending on the occasion. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Hindus perform puja in a wide range of settings, mostly at home or in a temple. In temples, orpujari priests are normally responsible for performing the ritual before images of the deities. Temple puja is more extreme and is performed several times a day. Furthermore, the temple deity is considered a resident rather than a host, so the puja is adapted to reflect this. When Hindus visit a temple, simply looking at the images to get a “view” or “vision” of the deities is one of the most vital things they do (Fuller, 2004, p. 59). Temple pujas differ widely from region to region. region and for different sects, for example with devotional hymns sung in Vaishnava temples (Hatcher, 2016, p. 24). At temple puja, there is often less active participation with the priest acting on behalf of the congregation. Worship in public temples is said to be “for the benefit of the world” because it is addressed on behalf of all to the deities who protect the entire population (Fuller, 2004, p. 62). In private temples belonging to families, kinship groups, castes or other social units, worship is primarily intended for the benefit of the temple owners. It could be argued that these forms of worship take on macro and micro properties. The macro is for the common good and the micro, private prayer, being more individualistic. When worship is performed by priests, particularly in public temples, ordinary devotees have no active role and the value of the ritual is not affected by the presence or absence of the congregation (Ebaugh and Chafetz, 2000, p. 232). The congregation is there in an almost observational capacity. In all community temples, however, the worship of deities may be conducted through community worship or private devotion. In congregational worship the priest acts in the name of the faithful. However, most common people are usually content with simple acts of worship by greeting deities with gestures of respect and having darshama of them. The rituals that take place as part of daily life in the temple revolve around the daily worship of deities, and so they are dressed, washed and garlanded, given offerings of food and put to rest (Anon, 2016). When Hindus visit a temple, it will be for a special purpose or intention or for a festive occasion. They will perform their individual puja or join congregational worship (Luke and Carman, 1968, p. 201). The worshiper must be in a state of ritual purity to receive divine blessings. Men and women wear traditional clothing rather than suits..