Introduction (Pujas and Festivals)

Pujas and festivals occupies most significant place because they formed an integral part of temple worship in the emerging society. A sacred red house of gods and goddesses, temple becomes a place of worship where people gather to think of god and pray to him. It catered to the religious needs of the people and provides a link between man and god and earthly life and divine life. Temple expressed the sincere devotion and piety of the rulers and ruled. It communicated the physical power of the rulers as it was an expression of their economic resources. Worshipping gods in temples not only infuse divinity and purity into the heart of the devotees but their religious impulse and sentiments find a natural outlet. They believed that if gods and goddesses were appeased. there would be rain and prosperity. Therefore, elaborate rituals and ceremonies were swiftly evolved and the heavenly beings were pleased with offerings of abhishekhas (sacred bath). oblations, rituals and festivals,^[1]

Like a palace where the king’s needs and requirements were attended to by a host of servants with meticulous care the gods and goddesses enshrined in a temple were looked after by a group of servants who discharged specific duties with utmost devotion from dawn to dusk. To maintain the divinity of the temple, the deity is provided with royal paraphernalia of a throne, umbrella and fly whisk and the worship of the deity is attended by royal pageantry, together with music, dance and a variety of lighting of lamps. In this way, in the temple, the potentially divine becomes visibly manifested and therefore approachable by man.^[2] The rituals and worship, which the priests performed in temple on behalf of the society, are believed to promote cheerfulness and enabled them to obtain absolution and various other favours and privileges. Hence, pujas and festivals were regularly conducted. This not only maintained the divinity of the temple for ever but the sanctity of the people too.