Before the visit to the Hindu Temple, the classroom was set up to give the pupils a sense of what they could expect to see when they visited the temple. The pupils made a special entrance over the classroom door using paper flowers and curtains with the pupils being asked to remove their shoes off before entering the classroom. The pupils also made a Puja table and practiced how to sit and listen to stories about Hindu Gods.
On the day of the visit when the pupils arrived at the temple they were amazed by the beautiful exterior of the temple and were able to recognise some of the Hindu God and Goddesses they had been learning about during lessons.
After following the temple rules (which they all remembered) about taking your shoes off before entering the temple, the pupils explored the many shrines and saw first-hand, some of the items used during a Puja ceremony. They were even lucky enough to be invited to take part in a Puja ceremony lead by the temple’s priest.
A favourite part of the visit for most of the pupils was ringing the large bell to let the Gods and Goddesses know they were there. It was very loud!
All the pupils were very respectful during our visit and asked lots of questions to develop their knowledge of Hinduism further.
One pupil said: ‘The temple was very different to the church that I go to, I really enjoyed ringing the bell and learning more about the Hindu traditions and the Puja ceremony.’