God Hanuman The household deities — part 2 Besides Lakshmi, other gods are also worshipped: Agni, the god of fire; Yama, the god of death; Navagraha, the nine planets as well as snakes in the form of diagrams etc.
God Hanuman The household deities — part 1 In Hindu traditions, every home has a shrine in front of which, rites and offerings are made in honour of various deities. The altar has one or several statues or images that represent the family’s favourite gods or goddesses.
Brata/rituals Bengal alpona, "At Sumitra’s home"— part 3 In the centre of the courtyard, wrapped in a white shawl, Sumitra paints with a confident hand on the beaten earth. She guides the milky substance between her fingers and invokes the presence of Goddess Lakshmi by repeating her footprints like an incantation.
Mandana/Rajasthan Rajasthan mandana, "Paglya, the divine footprints" — part 8 The goddess is also invoked through unusual mandana called paglya, literally “footmark”. Drawn outside the house on the verandah and around the main mandana, they welcome the goddess inside the home to bless the family members.
