The Hindu rishis realised long back the importance of the five elements in our lives. In fact no body of humans or any creature plant or animal can exist without the five elements. Thus, Hinduism regards them as sacred, and in a gesture of pure gratefulness worships them. Hindus worship all nature, plants, trees, shrubs, mountains, rivers, animals, planets, the sun and the moon. They worship birds, fish, and even the amphibious tortoise! Hinduism holds nature and all creation as supremely divine and that the Lord communicates to man through this divinity. Hinduism therefore has temples dedicated to the elements.
Earth—(prithvi): The Ekambeshwara temple in Kanchipuram is dedicated to the element Earth. It has a lingam made of earth. No ablution (abhishekam) is done to this, only aarti and puja.
Water—(jal): This temple dedicated to water is in Trichy, South India, and is called the Jambukeshwara temple. The sanctum sanctorum is just a small pond of water to which worship is performed daily by the faithful.
Fire—(agni): This temple is called The Arunachaleshwara temple. It is situated in Thiruvannamalai in the South. The sanctum sanctorum has no personified image of the Fire God. It only has a constant flame which is worshipped.
Space——(akash): This element has a temple called the Thillai Natraj temple in the Chidambaram district of Tamil Nadu. The sanctum sanctorum is of plain glass, or (sphatik) crystal to represent empty space which cradles the universe, and therefore worthy of worship.
Air—(vayu): This temple is called Kalaahasti eashwara, in Andhra Pradesh. It has no windows, yet the life giving air manifests as a constantly flickering flame which we prostrate to.
Strange and unique as it may seem, Hinduism believes all creation to be divine and therefore divinely endowed with powers to bless and heal, and therefore most worshipful.
Prarthna Saran, President Chinmaya Mission Delhi.