Image Worship

Worship of images, both at home and in temples, as well as in public places of worship is widespread and popular in Hinduism. There is a mistaken notion that this is pure and simple idolatry. When in idolatry, the physical symbol itself is revered as God, in image worship; the reverence is to God in and through the image.

Preparation of images of deities, worship to the deities through them, either in one’s own personal or in family shrines or even in temples seems to be an ancient custom. Reference to images is found even in the Vedas. Worship of deities through images is explicitly referred to in the “Ramayana” and “Mahabharata”.

Often, the images are replaced by symbolical objects such as “sivalingas”, “saligramas”, and “yntras”, and worshipped.