In Jainism, pooja (pūjā) means worship or reverential devotion, mainly towards:

• Arihant Bhagwan (Tirthankars)
• Siddha (liberated souls)
• Acharya, Upadhyay, and Sadhus (together called Panch Parmesthi)

Simple meaning of pooja in Jain Dharma

• We do not worship to “ask for money, success, health, or miracles”.
• We worship to:

- Remember the great qualities of Bhagwan (kevalgyan, ahimsa, aparigraha, samata). - Respect those who have reached the highest spiritual state. - Inspire ourselves to walk on the same path.

• So Jain pooja is symbolic – it is meant to change us from inside, not to change Bhagwan or the world outside.

Two main types of pooja

1. Dravya Pooja (with materials)

- Using water, rice, flowers, chandan, deep, dhoop, etc. - Example: Ashta-dravya pooja. - Aim: While offering each item, we remember some virtue and pray to develop it in our own life.

1. Bhav Pooja (inner / mental worship)

- Done through pure thoughts, prayers, stutis, mantras, and meditation. - Even without any items, a person can do very high pooja by shuddha bhaav (pure intention).

Digambar and Shwetambar

• Both accept pooja as upāsanā (devotional practice).
• External style, mantras, and rules can differ (which dravya, how many times, what sequence).
• But in both, the main purpose is the same:

To remember the qualities of Bhagwan and to purify our own soul.

You can read more about different types of pooja here