Do's and Don'ts in Temples
Temples are constructed according to several Agamas or temple construction rules to imbibe them with divine power within the confining walls of the temple. Hence, there are several do's and don'ts when you enter a temple.
Do's in Visiting a Temple
All visitors to temples should leave their footwear outside the temple, since footwear is strictly prohibited inside temples. Usually, there will be a place or multiple places that allow you to leave your footwear both free of charge or for a small payment and issue you a token.
You could get back your footwear by returning the token when you come out of the temple. However, in many temples, the open corridors can be quite hot during sunny days and you should be ready to tread carefully on such floors.
In all temples, you should use only your right hand to hand over donations or receive holy water and other prasadam items that the priest offers. Left hand is for use in toilet and considered dirty. You should also conduct circumambulation of the temple and its various chambers only in clock-wise direction.
All visitors to temples should leave their footwear outside the temple, since footwear is strictly prohibited inside temples. Usually, there will be a place or multiple places that allow you to leave your footwear both free of charge or for a small payment and issue you a token.
You could get back your footwear by returning the token when you come out of the temple. However, in many temples, the open corridors can be quite hot during sunny days and you should be ready to tread carefully on such floors.
In all temples, you should use only your right hand to hand over donations or receive holy water and other prasadam items that the priest offers. Left hand is for use in toilet and considered dirty. You should also conduct circumambulation of the temple and its various chambers only in clock-wise direction.
Wow, it looks good...
Your dress also should be modest when you enter temples. Most temples refuse to allow people wearing shorts, short skirts, see-through dresses and other provocative types of clothing. If you are wearing transparent T-shirts or tank tops, have them covered with a scarf-like material when you are inside the temple.
You should be ready to accept the fact that certain areas of the temple are restricted places and entry is not permitted. Many temples do not allow anyone inside the Garbagraha or the sanctum sanctorum, the innermost chamber in which the presiding God resides. Only priests can enter that chamber.
In Kerala temples, all men should remove their upper garments above waist before entering the temple. Many Kerala temples even insist that men and women wearing pants are not allowed inside the temples and they should wear only local traditional dresses. These dresses are available for hire near most temples and you can avail that facility.
Your dress also should be modest when you enter temples. Most temples refuse to allow people wearing shorts, short skirts, see-through dresses and other provocative types of clothing. If you are wearing transparent T-shirts or tank tops, have them covered with a scarf-like material when you are inside the temple.
You should be ready to accept the fact that certain areas of the temple are restricted places and entry is not permitted. Many temples do not allow anyone inside the Garbagraha or the sanctum sanctorum, the innermost chamber in which the presiding God resides. Only priests can enter that chamber.
In Kerala temples, all men should remove their upper garments above waist before entering the temple. Many Kerala temples even insist that men and women wearing pants are not allowed inside the temples and they should wear only local traditional dresses. These dresses are available for hire near most temples and you can avail that facility.
Don'ts in Visiting a Temple
You should not enter a temple in an intoxicant state. You should also avoid smoking inside the temple. Many temples do not allow prostration inside the temple. Spitting and committing any nuisance inside the temple will lead to immediate expulsion.
Most temples also prohibit taking photos or videos but nowadays many of them allow this now if you obtain prior permission and pay the necessary fees. However, you cannot take photos or videos of the inner chamber and the Lord within that chamber.
Five Rituals during Worship
Worship of any God itself is a rigorous ritual and there are several norms and rules that regulate such worship. Elaborate worship requires sixteen types of ritualistic actions involving the recitation of specific mantras for each ritualistic action and procedures for each one. However, for simple worships in homes, devotees may not be able to perform all these sixteen rituals each day. Hence, the scriptures allow householders to limit the offerings and puja rituals to basic five offerings.
These five ritual offerings are flowers (pushpa), incense (dhupa), light (deepa), food (neivedya), and sandalwood paste (gandha). These five offerings represent the five elements of space (akasha), air (vayu), fire (agni), water (apana), and earth (prithvi).
The mantras will change for each deity but basically these five offerings constitute the basic pancha puja (five-fold worship) ritual in simple worships in homes. However, it is important for the devotees to follow certain common practices like bathing, wearing clean clothes, keeping the worship place clean, and follow other worship rituals as much as possible.
The Significance of Bindi that Women Wear on Their Foreheads
Bindi is not just an ornamental addition to the appearance of Hindu woman when she wears it on the forehead between the eyebrows but it has far deeper significances. The area between eyebrows is considered as the sixth chakra in human bodies and it is known as Agna chakra or command chakra. All our experiences gather in that spot in total concentration.
The bindi retains the internal energy of the human body and controls concentration powers. Hence, Hindus give high importance to bindi for women and other types of coverings like ashes for men on their foreheads.
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