Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...

, ''upachara'' (

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

: उपचार; service or courtesy) refers to the offerings and services made to a

deity A deity or god is a supernatural being who is considered divine or sacred. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines deity as a god or goddess, or anything revered as divine. C. Scott Littleton defines a deity as "a being with powers greate ...

as part of

worship Worship is an act of religious devotion usually directed towards a deity. It may involve one or more of activities such as veneration, adoration, praise, and praying. For many, worship is not about an emotion, it is more about a recognition ...

List

Krishnananda Agamavagisha Krishnananda Agamavagisha (Devanagari; कृष्णानन्द आगमवागीश, Bengali language: কৃষ্ণানন্দ আগমবাগীশ) (a.k.a. Mahamahopadhyaya Krishnananda Bhattacharya) was a noted Kulin Bengal ...

states in the

Brihat Tantrasara Brihat Tantrasara or Tantrasara is a famous work on the social worship system of the various goddesses of the Dasamahavidya mentioned in various texts of Tantra Sadhana. Krishnananda Agambagish, a well-versed Tantric devotee of Tantra, wrote t ...

that the main worship is conducted with 5, 10, 16 or 18 articles. These are

Panchopachara

This is the most basic mode. It includes #''Gandha'' : Frangrant items like

agarwood Agarwood, aloeswood, eaglewood or gharuwood is a fragrant dark resinous wood used in incense, perfume, and small carvings. This resinous wood is most commonly referred to as "Oud" or "Oudh". It is formed in the heartwood of aquilaria trees when ...

musk Musk (Persian: مشک, ''Mushk'') is a class of aromatic substances commonly used as base notes in perfumery. They include glandular secretions from animals such as the musk deer, numerous plants emitting similar fragrances, and artificial sub ...

sandalwood Sandalwood is a class of woods from trees in the genus ''Santalum''. The woods are heavy, yellow, and fine-grained, and, unlike many other aromatic woods, they retain their fragrance for decades. Sandalwood oil is extracted from the woods for us ...

#''Pushpa'' : Flowers & leaves #''Dhupa'' :

Incense Incense is aromatic biotic material that releases fragrant smoke when burnt. The term is used for either the material or the aroma. Incense is used for aesthetic reasons, religious worship, aromatherapy, meditation, and ceremony. It may also be ...

#'' Dipa'': offering of lamps/ light #''Naivedya'' : Food consisting of uncooked(like fruits & milk) & cooked(like

payasam Kheer, also known as payasam, is a sweet dish and a type of wet pudding popular in the Indian subcontinent, usually made by boiling milk, sugar or jaggery, and rice, although rice may be substituted with one of the following: daals, bulgur whe ...

, boiled rice, vegetables,

curry A curry is a dish with a sauce seasoned with spices, mainly associated with South Asian cuisine. In southern India, leaves from the curry tree may be included. There are many varieties of curry. The choice of spices for each dish in tradit ...

dal In Indian cuisine, ''dal'' (also spelled ''daal'' or ''dhal''; pronunciation: , Hindi: दाल, Urdu: ) are dried, split pulses (e.g., lentils, peas, and beans) that do not require soaking before cooking. India is the largest producer of p ...

) dishes

Dashopachara

Alongside the 5 articles mentioned above, it also includes 5 additional items which are #''Padya'' : Water for washing feet #''Arghya'' : An offering consisting of water,

durva ''Cynodon dactylon'', commonly known as Bermuda grass, is a grass found worldwide. It is native to Europe, Africa, Australia and much of Asia. It has been introduced to the Americas. Although it is not native to Bermuda, it is an abundant invasiv ...

, flowers & raw rice grains given in the hands of a guest in ancient times as a sign of reception & respect #''Achamaniya'' : Water for rinsing lips for achamana #''Madhuparka'' : An offering of honey mixed with curd, ghee, milk & sugar in specific quantities given before starting any ceremony as a sign of reception #''Punarachamaniya'' : Water for achamana to be offered after giving ''madhuparka''

Shodashopachara

This is most prevalent mode. Apart from the articles mentioned in the previous list (except ''Madhuparka''), it includes 7 additional items which are #''Snaniya'' : Water offered for bathing #''Vastra'' : New, unstitched, clean, unused clothes for wearing. For male deities, it is

dhoti The dhoti, also known as veshti, vetti, dhuti, mardani, chaadra, dhotar, jaiñboh, panchey, is a type of sarong, tied in a manner that outwardly resembles "loose trousers". It is a lower garment forming part of the ethnic costume for men in the I ...

uttariya An uttariya () is a loose piece of upper body clothing. It is a single piece of cloth that falls from the back of the neck to curl around both arms and could also drape the top half of the body. An Uttariya is similar to a veil, a long scarf an ...

while for female deities it is

sari A sari (sometimes also saree or shari)The name of the garment in various regional languages include: * as, শাৰী, xārī, translit-std=ISO * bn, শাড়ি, śāṛi, translit-std=ISO * gu, સાડી, sāḍī, translit-std= ...

. # ''Alamkara'' : Traditional jewellery #''Tambula'' : Offering of

paan Betel nut chewing, also called betel quid chewing or areca nut chewing, is a practice in which areca nuts (also called "betel nuts") are chewed together with slaked lime and betel leaves for their stimulant and narcotic effects. The practice ...

after ''naivedya'' #''Tarpana'' : Offering libations of water for satisfaction of disembodied & divine beings. In practice it is substituted with offerings of drinks like drinking water &

sharbat Sharbat ( fa, شربت, ; also transliterated as ''shorbot'', ''šerbet'' or ''sherbet'') is a drink prepared from fruit or flower petals. It is a sweet cordial, and usually served chilled. It can be served in concentrated form and eaten with a ...

alongside ''naivedya''. #''Stotra'' : Recitation of hymns & eulogies of the deity who is worshipped. #''Namaskara'' : Bowing down or prostrating before the deity with folded hands in reverence.

Astadashopachara

It includes all articles mentioned in the previous list except ''Punarachamaniya'', ''Tambula'' & ''Stotra'', it includes 5 additional items which are #''Asana'' : Offering a seat in the form of a mat for sitting on ground or low stool made of wood or metals like gold & silver. #''Svagata'' : Greetings of reception given by the host(the priest in this case) to the guest( the deity in this case). #''Malya'' : Garlands made of flowers & leaves. #''Anulepana'' : Unguents like

for anointing the body. #''Upavita'' : Offering

sacred thread ''Upanayana'' ( sa, उपनयनम्, lit=initiation, translit=Upanāyanam) is a Hindus, Hindu educational sacrament, one of the traditional Samskara (rite of passage), saṃskāras or rites of passage that marked the acceptance of a student ...

Some texts include all abovementioned articles(without omitting any) alongside additional articles like ''shayya''(bedding) & ''chhatra''(umbrella). Additional items offered in case of female deities include lac, collyrium & vermilion. Some deities are offered articles which aren't offered to other deities. For example, alcohol is offered to

Kali Kali (; sa, काली, ), also referred to as Mahakali, Bhadrakali, and Kalika ( sa, कालिका), is a Hinduism, Hindu goddess who is considered to be the goddess of ultimate power, time, destruction and change in Shaktism. In t ...

References

Hindu worship {{Hinduism-stub