Why do Hindus worship animals and plants?

And how will you answer your own kids when they grow older and ask how their grandpa and grandma were worshipping animals and plants?<br><br>Each religion has their own rules and regulations for the people and their own preferences for worship and beliefs. You can't judge others on what they worship as long as they do not force you to do it.<br><br>Here in India, animal worship is mainly carried out in Hinduism and once in a while in Jainism. Hindu people worship different animals, like elephants, snakes, peacocks, cows, monkeys, lions, tigers, and others.<br><br>The image you are seeing is from Varanasi and this is Goddess Kalratri Mandir in which the Goddess is being worshipped by the peacocks. Peacocks have their own value in Hindu mythology.<br><br>in total there are nine forms of Goddess Durga and the seventh day of Navratri is known as Kalratri’s day. She is known by the name of goddess Kali, Mahakali or Bhadrakaali as well.<br><br>Each day of Navratri a different goddess avatar is worshipped in different parts of India. Even the 9 avatars are different in North and South India.<br><br>The beautiful story behind the temple is: one day a lot of people from the city went to worship the goddesses in the temple when they were shocked to see two peacocks coming to the temple and doing the parikrama of the temple and then going to the shrine where the goddess is and worshipping her and doing the parikrama and coming out and flying away into the sky.<br><br>All the people who came to the temple to worship the goddess were shocked to see this miracle. From that day onwards once the evening aarti is done the priests come and bring the idol to rest outside and there they open the window so that these two peacocks can come and worship the goddesses.<br><br>People have installed CCTV cameras and everything to capture the happenings. once the priests are done with the worship they close the door and go to their homes. almost every night at 2:00 o’clock these two animals come inside do their worship and get out.<br><br>Nobody knows who has guided these animals nor from where they have learned this particular ritual. nobody knows why they have this particular interest in going to the temple and doing the worship and nobody knows from where they have come.