ARTEFACTS

Cymbals and other instruments are used to accompany the singing of bhajans or hymns, which is one of the most popular forms of expressing devotion to God. The singing is also often accompanied by the ringing of bells and the clapping of hands in time to the singing. Bhajans are particularly associated with the worship of God in the form of Vishnu or Shiva.

Dancing Sticks are used by Hindus on festive occasions, e.g. the festival of Navaratri. Festive dances take place every night during the nine nights of Navaratri. Each dancer carries small decorated wooden sticks which are struck in rhythm. One suggestion is that the lines of dancers waving their decorated sticks represent harvesters with their sickles, an indication that this was once a harvest celebration. The dancers swirling round in circles with their sticks colliding in mid-air have also been likened to the warriors in the battle between Rama and the ten-headed demon Ravana in which the powers of goodness were victorious over the forces of evil.

Prayer Beads may be used as an aid to concentration during worship or meditation.
The worshipper repeats the sacred syllable Om or the name of one of the deities, e.g. Rama or Krishna. Through this the Hindu experiences a closer union with God. Malas, or strings of prayer beads, usually contain 108 beads.

Mandir. This is a representation of a Hindu temple or mandir which may be found on a home shrine. A temple is regarded as a house of God, though Hindus believe that they can encounter God anywhere. Temples will contain images of God which will be covered by some sort of canopy, often the roof of the building. The building often has a tall dome representing the sky and pinnacles representing the worshippers' spiritual aspirations.

Wedding Jewellery. It has been suggested that marriage is perhaps the most significant event in a Hindu family. For a young man or woman, it is the rite of passage which marks the change from what in traditional Hinduism is known as the student stage to the householder stage in life. It is of additional significance for a woman as it is also a major religious ritual marking adulthood. For boys the transition to adulthood is traditionally marked by the sacred thread ceremony.
The bride's family traditionally buy her gold jewellery, such as necklaces, bangles and rings and the groom's mother gives a necklace to the bride.