The Real Reason Why We Offer Flowers to Gods in Temples
Riya Kumari | May 08, 2025, 20:41 IST
Okay, let’s talk about flowers. You know, the colorful little things that we offer to gods when we visit temples, and the ones we receive when we’ve hit peak romantic movie cliché moments. It’s like the universe’s way of saying, “Here, have something beautiful that you won’t know what to do with five minutes later.” But here’s the twist – those flowers? They're not just a pretty gesture. Oh no. There’s way more to it, and it’s not as simple as ‘let’s throw a flower around because we like the smell.’
Have you ever stood in a temple, holding a simple flower in your hands, and wondered why, of all things, we offer flowers to the divine? It’s not just tradition. It’s not just about going through the motions. There’s something far deeper at play here, and it isn’t meant to be understood with just your eyes. It’s a truth that resonates, if you’re willing to listen closely. We tend to complicate things, don’t we? Life, relationships, purpose. We pile on expectations, desires, responsibilities, and then wonder why we’re exhausted. Offering flowers in a temple, though, is the simplest thing we could do—yet, it speaks volumes about how we’re meant to live, and perhaps, how we’ve forgotten to live.
1. The Subtlety of Simplicity
Consider this: flowers are delicate. They arrive in our lives bright, beautiful, and full of potential, yet they fade. You can’t keep a flower forever; its beauty is transient. The act of offering flowers to a deity reminds us of the impermanence of life. In the moment that we place a flower in front of a statue, we are symbolically acknowledging that we are transient too. We offer something fleeting, something we know won’t last. It’s as if we’re handing over a part of ourselves—a small, impermanent gift to the divine, knowing full well it will not remain forever.
But here’s the twist. In that fleeting moment, in the offering of that flower, there’s a lesson: beauty isn’t bound by time. The act of offering something that will fade is a reminder that the act itself—pure and untainted by expectations—is more important than what you give. It’s a humble surrender, a recognition of life’s fragility. We give not because we expect something in return, but because it is in our nature to honor what is sacred, even if it’s as temporary as a petal.
2. The Wisdom in Offering Less
You won’t find a grand golden idol in front of most temples. Instead, you’ll see simplicity. Few adornments. Few distractions. The emphasis isn’t on what we can give that will impress, but rather on what is offered with sincerity and humility. And yet, somehow, in a world obsessed with the bigger, the better, and the more impressive, the offering of something so simple as a flower can be one of the most profound acts of devotion.
The gods don’t require luxury. They don’t ask for our opulence. They ask for us to acknowledge their presence, to offer something pure from our hearts, something unadorned. Perhaps it’s because they understand that in a world full of noise, the quiet moments, the small gestures, carry the most weight. We don’t need to go overboard; we just need to show up, be present, and offer whatever is in our hearts, no matter how simple. The wisdom here lies not in what is offered, but in the willingness to offer. Flowers are not just things we place at the feet of the divine—they are symbols of what it means to give from a place of authenticity, even when nothing is permanent.
3. The Flower as a Mirror of Ourselves
Flowers, much like us, go through stages. They bloom, they wither, they return to the earth. And so do we. The act of offering a flower, then, isn’t just about giving something to a deity—it’s about offering a reflection of our own lives. We are like those flowers, born with potential, radiant in our youth, yet destined to fade. But in that fading, there is beauty. There is meaning.
We are constantly in the process of becoming and unbecoming. Our lives, like flowers, are fragile. We grow, we change, and we eventually face an end. The flower is a reminder of that cycle. But it’s not a sad or hopeless symbol. It’s a reminder that, even in our fragility, we are part of something greater. That every season of our life holds meaning, even if it’s only for a moment. And when we place that flower before a deity, we are honoring not just the divine, but the very nature of our own existence—the fact that we, too, are part of something bigger. That, in the grand tapestry of life, even the briefest moments matter.
4. A Call to Be Present
Next time you stand before a deity, holding a flower in your hands, remember this: you are not just making an offering. You are acknowledging your own impermanence, your own humanity, and your connection to something far beyond yourself. In that act, there’s a quiet wisdom: to offer what is pure and genuine, without expectation, and to appreciate the beauty in transience. Because when you accept that nothing lasts forever, you begin to value what you have, what you give, and what you receive.
So, perhaps, the reason we offer flowers is not just because they’re beautiful, but because in their fleeting nature, they teach us how to live with grace, humility, and presence. Life, like a flower, will not last forever—but the moments we choose to honor it, to be fully present in it, can leave an impact that resonates far beyond their time.
1. The Subtlety of Simplicity
But here’s the twist. In that fleeting moment, in the offering of that flower, there’s a lesson: beauty isn’t bound by time. The act of offering something that will fade is a reminder that the act itself—pure and untainted by expectations—is more important than what you give. It’s a humble surrender, a recognition of life’s fragility. We give not because we expect something in return, but because it is in our nature to honor what is sacred, even if it’s as temporary as a petal.
2. The Wisdom in Offering Less
The gods don’t require luxury. They don’t ask for our opulence. They ask for us to acknowledge their presence, to offer something pure from our hearts, something unadorned. Perhaps it’s because they understand that in a world full of noise, the quiet moments, the small gestures, carry the most weight. We don’t need to go overboard; we just need to show up, be present, and offer whatever is in our hearts, no matter how simple. The wisdom here lies not in what is offered, but in the willingness to offer. Flowers are not just things we place at the feet of the divine—they are symbols of what it means to give from a place of authenticity, even when nothing is permanent.
3. The Flower as a Mirror of Ourselves
We are constantly in the process of becoming and unbecoming. Our lives, like flowers, are fragile. We grow, we change, and we eventually face an end. The flower is a reminder of that cycle. But it’s not a sad or hopeless symbol. It’s a reminder that, even in our fragility, we are part of something greater. That every season of our life holds meaning, even if it’s only for a moment. And when we place that flower before a deity, we are honoring not just the divine, but the very nature of our own existence—the fact that we, too, are part of something bigger. That, in the grand tapestry of life, even the briefest moments matter.
4. A Call to Be Present
So, perhaps, the reason we offer flowers is not just because they’re beautiful, but because in their fleeting nature, they teach us how to live with grace, humility, and presence. Life, like a flower, will not last forever—but the moments we choose to honor it, to be fully present in it, can leave an impact that resonates far beyond their time.