Inspiration: Of late, I see a whole lot of people posting the images of their deities, and even prayers through social media. The social media has become a channel through which they are expressing their faith and telling their story or experience. Some even make fun of all these deities that are used to solve their day to day life obstacles.
We all know that even when we go to the temples and pray and do the rituals; it is ultimately us, that solve our own problems and help others in the name of that faith/ deity or religion. Some do not go to the temples, since they know this and often are not approved in their community.
So, it follows as to why do we spend so much on deity or temple worship. Also so much money is readily given for making temples, deity images, or decorating these temples; whereas this money should be readily given for helping the needy or making some people from the community more self sufficient.
THE REASONING: Unlike the Islamic or the Christian Cultures, the HINDUS cremate their dead, and do not preserve them in their respective graves. The Hindu Cemetery does not have graves. In ancient times the Hindu kings and their families were immortalized through their images made and worshipped by their subjects so that the kings and their family would look after their people. So these temples originally were financed by the kings, and constructed by them in their own kingdom. The chief deity of the temple would be the one the king ordered. But apart from those there would be others, alongside or around. Over a period of time the temples grew in size, and people of standing were allowed to put their deities as well. These deities were worshipped everyday, and the temple priests were appointed to bathe, clothe and light the lamp, offer Prasad, and flowers, and so on. Everyday these deities are tended to by the priests.
This is how the temples became a part of a daily Hindu life. Earlier due to the caste system, the low caste people were not allowed in the temple. They could not have their deities or worship them in the temple, alongside the other deities. Especially the Southern Indian temples discriminated them from entering the temple. So there was a rebellion, the Southern Priests were not liked by a whole lot of people, and had to leave the Southern States only for their hardline approach.
Unlike the Southern States, the Rest of India, did not face this as much, thanks to all the rebel saints, who worked with low caste people and made the temples accessible to them as well. There are quite a lot of these rebels that emerged during that era, which led to see some beautiful historic temples being made around that time. Since then the temple culture has evolved, and now it is for the people to decide as to how much temple They need. Also wether it is better to have few big ones, or to have numerous small ones. Since the priests are the ones to look after these temples. The modern day priests have more on their hands than their predecessors.
