 Rituals in Jain Temples are the rites to be performed in Jain temples that are multifarious. The temples which have been made by the Jains have the idols of the Tirthankaras. The rituals of the temples may be elaborate in the form of offering symbolic objects to the idols and praising the Tirthankaras in the form of songs. Some of the Rituals in Jain Temples are as follows:
Morning Rituals in Jain Temples The morning service begins around 6.30 a.m. The Pujari who has taken a bath, or who has, in any case, washed the five main parts of his body, mouth, hands and feet, opens the temple. On entering the consecrated hall, he speaks ‘nissahi’ or ‘nissarahi’, and it means that he goes out of the world and leaves all that is worldly behind. Then he cleans the temple and the idols. A lamp is kept on the right of the idol of the Tirthankara and on the left a container for incense and they are kindled. Then the nine limbs of the Tirthankara, the big toes, knee-joints, hand-joints, shoulders, top of the head, forehead, neck, breast and the navel are smeared with ‘Vasa’ powder by the Pujari, which is a nicely smelling paste consisting of sandal, camphor, ambergris, musk and saffron. Then a Swastika mark is drawn on a small table in the temple hall; fruits are placed on the Swastika and sweets or ‘Naivedya’ on the crescent moon. Then the Pujari takes the tag of his upper garment between his hands, dusts the ground with it and utters a Mantra. Then he ‘bows with the five limbs’ by touching the ground with both the knees, palms and the forehead. He then chants a number of other panegyrics and Mantras by changing the position of the body each time in accordance with the precept. At the end of the Puja, he rings the ‘bell of victory’ and leaves the shrine with the words ‘ivissahi’ which indicates his return to the world.  The second Puja begins around 10 a.m. The Pujari has to take his bath before. He enters the temple with a pot of water in which he washes his feet before entering the hall. On entering he washes the stone on which the holy powder is prepared, he prepares a new one, puts it in a container and goes into the ‘Garbhagriha’. Here he removes the flowers of the earlier Puja and cleans the idol of the Tirthankara. After cleaning the idol, the Pujari prepares a ‘Panchamrit’, which is poured over the idol, followed by clean water. Mantras are chanted while doing this. After this he applies the sandal to the nine limbs of the idol while reciting Mantras. The Pujari then starts the worship of the idol with flowers in the same way as the early morning Puja.
Evening Puja in Jain Temple The evening Puja of a Jain Temple on the other hand is simple. It begins between 5pm and 6pm. The Pujari enters the temple with a ‘nissahi’, kindles the lamps and burns the incense. Then he does the Aarti by swinging a lamp with five wicks in front of the idol. Then an oil-lamp (Mangaladipa) is moved one way and the other way in front of the idol. While doing this, instruments like drum, bells, etc. are played. After the chanting of Mantras, the Pujari rings the victory-bell and leaves the temple with ‘avissahi’. Rituals on Special Occasions in Jain Temples Apart from the regular rituals of a Jain Temple there are several rites which are to be performed during special occasions of the temple. The special occasions may be the installation of a Jina idol and many others. |
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Rituals in Jain Temples
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