The Role and Function of the Leaders in the Mandir

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The Role and Function of the Leaders in the Mandir (ii) Most mandirs are lead by the highest caste, Brahmins who are seen as a leader or teacher who sets an example for the community. They are well educated therefore they are highly respected. However, the leaders could also be Gurus, a spiritual teacher or Swami, a saint. In small village temples, they normally have part-time non-Brahmin leaders but in larger temples, they normally have fulltime Brahmins. A mandir is a house for deity/ deities so the priest's role is to care for them. At dawn, the priest will wake up the deity and carry the image to the shrine room, where it is washed, dried and dressed. At night, the image will be brought back to the bedroom. Everyday, the priest will sound a conch shell to mark the start of the day. There are five daily obligations that he must follow: Firstly, he must worship Brahman everyday. This could be done directly or through other Gods. Secondly, he will have to give reverence to saints and holy men by reading the Vedas, usually consisting of the Gayatri Mantra, which is one of the most popular of Hindu prayers from the Upanishads and is chanted at all ceremonies. Thirdly, he will have to respect his parents and elderly. Fourthly, he will have to give shelter and alms to the poor or holy men and lastly he will have to feed and care for animals, as Hindus believe that Brahman is omnipresent so all living things form one community. In the daily worship, the priest performs puja for the deity. The congregation sing and clap while he performs the arti ceremony, which is offering love and devotion to God. He also performs Haven, the offering of fire. He pours ghee while he recites the Vedas, then dips his finger in water and touches his ears, nose, mouth, eyes, arms, body and legs, while the congregation copies. The priest teaches the Vedas, sacrifices for people and helps and assists people by giving guidance and advice to people on moral and

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