Puja
/ˈpuː.dʒə/noun
A Hindu, Buddhist, or Jain ritual act of worship involving offerings, prayers, and reverence toward a deity or sacred presence.
Did you know?In many puja traditions, the deity is ritually treated like an honored guest: awakened, welcomed, offered food, adorned, and ceremonially dismissed.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Sanskrit
Sanskrit
pūjā
“Worship, honor, reverence, or ceremonial offering”
Early Indo-Aryan tradition
Sanskrit
pūjayati
“He or she honors, venerates, or worships”
Middle Indo-Aryan period
Prakrit
pūjā
“Ritual honoring or religious offering”
Medieval India
Hindi and other Indo-Aryan languages
pūjā
“Household or temple worship involving offerings and prayers”
18th–19th Century
English
puja
“A Hindu act or ceremony of worship, borrowed through descriptions of South Asian religious practice”
Modern English
English
puja
“A ritual of devotion or worship, commonly involving lamps, flowers, food, incense, and mantras”