Religion and World Views – learning about Hinduism
In November, Year 4 visited the Shree Hindu Temple in Leeds, to learn about the Hindu faith and to experience a Hindu place of worship. It is an excellent opportunity for the children to learn, first hand, about faiths that may be different to their own.
This year, the children were invited to attend morning prayers, which are called a puja ceremony. As the children entered the prayer room, the first thing they noticed was the incredible shrine in front of them, that included bright colours, pictures and statues showing many of the different Hindu gods. Hindus believe that there is one God but that this God has many different forms.
During the ceremony itself, worshippers chanted mantras and rang bells to let the gods know they were there. The priest wafted incense around the shines and he used a diva lamp to light them. He splashed water to bless the gods and the worshippers too. Some of the children had the opportunity to ring the bells, and it was a lovely experience for them to be able to join in with the ceremony and to gain a deeper understanding of how Hindus worship.
A special note of thanks to everyone at the Shree Hindu Temple, who arranged for the children in Year 4 to visit and for making them feel so welcome. The experience supported understanding of a major world faith, that a number of children at Talbot adhere too.
