Hinduism — Practices
What's covered
Key facts
A bhajan is a Hindu devotional song.
At home Diwali is celebrated by lighting diya lamps and sharing sweets.
Mother Earth in Hinduism is called Bhumi.
Agni (fire) carries offerings to the gods in havan.
Annadana means giving food to those in need.
The Arya Samaj (founded 1875 by Dayananda Saraswati) rejects murti worship.
Bathing at the Kumbh is believed to cleanse karma from past lives.
The largest UK mandir is the BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir in Neasden, London.
Astanga literally means "eight limbs".
The Gayatri Mantra is a Vedic prayer to the sun for wisdom.
Sample questions
A taste of the 90 questions in this topic — answers marked. Sign up to practise the full set with spaced repetition.
What is a bhajan?
- ✓Devotional Hindu song
- •Group call-and-response chanting
- •Repeated recitation of a mantra
- •Sacred fire ceremony
What does Diwali primarily celebrate?
- ✓Light triumphing over darkness
- •the birthday of Lord Krishna
- •The founding of the Khalsa
- •the start of the Hindu New Year
Why are cows sacred to many Hindus?
- •Krishna commanded their worship
- ✓Symbol of life and ahimsa
- •They are an avatara of Vishnu
- •They are forbidden to be touched
What is havan?
- •Group call-and-response chanting
- •Lamp-waving devotional ritual
- •Ritual bathing in the Ganges
- ✓Sacred fire ceremony
What does Hindu charity often emphasise?
- •Donating only to one's family
- •Earning fame for the donor
- •Maximising tax breaks alone
- ✓Service that purifies the giver
Are murtis worshipped as the god?
- ✓Focus, not god itself
- •No, they are purely decorative objects
- •Yes, but only after consecration rituals
- •Yes, the deity dwells within them fully
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