Spiritual Significance of Flowers Offered at Pooja

Whenever my friends asks me questions about Hinduism and the significance of this or that, I try my best but I’m embarrassed to say I don’t have an exact knowledge.  What I know is hazy and based on what I have observed my relatives do.  That’s why I decided to do a post about it so that I learn about my own culture in the process as well.

I took super close-up photos of 2 tiny flowers – one white and one yellow.  I know that these flowers are picked by women for offering at the Hindu temple, but I wasn’t too sure about the exact significance so I googled it.

photo by bookjunkie

This flower is offered for Pooja (prayers conducted at home or at the temple). At first sight I noticed the pinwheel structure of the petals. True to its form the flower is known as the pinwheel flower or crape jasmine, a member of the Oleander family of flowers. It symbolises mental purity.

photo by bookjunkie

This one is known as a West Indian Holly or a Yellow Alder and signifies the awakening in the mind.

photo by bookjunkie

My favorite flowers that I have seen used during Hindu prayers are the beautiful red roses and rose petals and the divinely scented white jasmine. The jasmine stands for everlasting love and which is why it is always used at weddings.  I must confess that didn’t know this before today.

My observation is that most of the flowers that are used can be commonly found in India all year round and that is probably one of the main reasons for their selection, besides their wonderful scent that’s often extracted to produce perfumes.

About bookjunkie

Blogging about life in Singapore & recently cancer too.
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5 Responses to Spiritual Significance of Flowers Offered at Pooja

  1. J says:

    Wooo… this layout is so much easier to read. Looks better too! 🙂

    My experience of Hinduism was in Kathmandu. I stayed with a Hindu Nepali family, waking up to their morning prayers with bells ringing. But Pashupatinath temple is a place that is concentrated with the essence of religion. It’s amazing!

    • bookjunkie says:

      Thanks a million J. I’m so glad you like the new layout…feedback really helps and I like this new one better too 🙂

      Your trip to Nepal sounds wonderful and very spiritual. I have never been there before and it seems like a very exotic untouched place to me.

      • J says:

        Nepal is an intersting place, though I only experienced Kathmandu while I was there. Check out the pics on my blog. I posted up on some of the places I visited. Ohh… and witness a cremation too!

  2. Tes says:

    There are these flowers in front of my grandmon sister house! She used it for buddhism pooja, too. This post definitely bring me a great memory! Thanks for sharing.

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