What to do and expect
Hindu temples are sacred spaces for worship and spiritual connection. If you’re planning a visit, understanding a few key customs and etiquette can enhance your experience.
Before your visit
1. Cleanse yourself: Taking a bath or shower before visiting is encouraged, symbolizing physical and mental purification.
2. Dress modestly:
3. Consider an offering: Bringing a token offering like fruits or flowers is a way of showing respect.
4. Plan your visit: Check the temple’s website or call ahead to inquire about specific timings for ceremonies.
Entering the temple
1. Remove footwear: Take off your shoes and any other footwear & place it at the specified space at the temple entrance.
2. Silence your phone and refrain from loud conversations: Maintain a respectful and peaceful atmosphere within the temple.
3. Ring the bell : The temple has a brass bell near the entrance, which devotees ring to announce their arrival to the deities.
Inside the temple
1. Approach shrines in a clockwise direction: Begin with the deity on your left and proceed clockwise, pausing before each deity you encounter.
2. Bow before statues: Join your palms in a respectful “namaskara” pose and bow before each deity.
3. Do not touch Deities / shrines or murthies: Typically, only priests are permitted to perform the pooja or touch the deity & murthies.
4. Offer gifts (if applicable): If you brought fruits or flowers, leave them in the basket placed in front of the deity.
5. Accept blessings: Please pick up the “prasadam” (blessed food) placed in the basket placed on a table on your way out..
6. Participate in prayers (optional): If you visit during a public prayer (puja), feel free to sit and listen or participate as you feel comfortable.
7. Donate (optional): You may find a donation box (Hundi) to contribute to the temple’s upkeep or to support the activities in the Temple.
8. Leave Worldly & Political Thoughts Outside: Focus your attention on the spiritual purpose of your visit.
In Hindu temple worship, offerings like flowers and fruits hold deep symbolic and spiritual significance.
Symbolic acts of devotion
Flowers: Offerings of flowers, like the highly revered lotus, symbolize purity, beauty, and devotion. They are a way of expressing reverence and acknowledging the ephemeral nature of life and the impermanence of existence. Each flower can also carry its own specific symbolism and may be favored by certain deities.
Fruits: Fruits symbolize the nourishment and abundance of nature, representing life and vitality. They can also represent the fruits of one’s actions, offerings of gratitude, or the desired results of worship.