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Design Your Pooja Room As Per Vastu
Besides being a holy spot, your pooja room should also radiate a positive energy so that you can achieve a spiritual experience. According to Vastu Shastra, pooja rooms should always use a plethora of energies via mandir architecture and orientation. Below is a short guide to Vastu tips for pooja rooms to help you get going.
1. Heavenly Direction
Besides being a holy spot, your pooja room should also radiate a positive energy so that you can achieve a spiritual experience. According to Vastu Shastra, pooja rooms should always use a plethora of energies via mandir architecture and orientation. Below is a short guide to Vastu tips for pooja rooms to help you get going. The position of your pooja room is key to the interpretation of its auspicious energy. The North East is the perfect direction followed by the East and then the North. If you are considering a new home and can decide where your pooja room is going to be built, then it is highly recommended to avoid the basement or the upper floors of the building. It’s better to put your mandir on the ground floor. Vastu Shastra recommends the north-east direction in order to harvest the maximum energy of the sun.
2. Mandir Design
Your pooja room is expected to have a low ceiling. A pyramid-shaped or gopura-like top can help to create a positive environment. If the space permits, the threshold and the two-door entrance should also be considered. As the pooja room is usually compact, the lower ceiling coupled with a gopura-like form creates symmetry and therefore can help you fall into a meditative state quickly. The threshold is to prevent ants and insects from entering the holy room.
3. Ideal Idol Placement
After the architecture and arrangement of your pooja room is finished, it’s time for idol placement. Ideal positioning would be a few inches away from the wall and at least 6 inches away from the floor. Portraits of the dead and paintings portraying brutality are not part of your pooja room. The idol should be away from the wall to allow the free flow of air around the idol. In addition, this serves to envelop an idol with the scent of incense sticks. As is the standard practice, place your idols and images on the east or west side of the venue. Idols should not face each other. The idols’ feet should be at the level of your chest as you sit down to practice meditation. Statues and Idols must never face the south. Also, there should be no shattered idols or ancient statues of God from old temples in the mandir of your house. Create a proper shelf or temple to place images and dols. Idols must never be mounted on wall niches. Consider not putting the idols in front of the entry door to the pooja room.
4. Sacred Storage
Perplexed about where and how to store all of your lamps, religious books, and pooja related items? Storage must always point towards the south east. There should be no storage above the idol. It should be faced south-east to ensure that there is nothing hindering sunshine.
5. Soothing Palette
Build a meditative experience of soft colors such as white, light blue or light purple. If you go for marble, white or light yellow or ochre will fit well. Light colours help make the room bright, while dim, loud tones can be disturbing whilst you pray. Since the room must have a quiet setting that promotes focus, it is advised to use pastel colors. Light blue, white and pastel yellow are the perfect options, because they showcase the sun’s rays and make the atmosphere brighter. Using a bold hue will make the area too sharp and intrusive.
6. Let the light in
What’s not to fall in love with, in a bright room? And a vivid pooja, in particular? As it will be the smallest space in your house, you’re going to need bright lighting to illuminate it. Support your diyas with a window in the northeast direction. If this is not feasible, use enough artificial lights as a replacement. Not only is your pooja going to be brilliant, but this will ensure that you get a lot of ventilation and can stay seated easily while you pray for a long time.
Things to consider while making a Vastu-compliant Pooja Room
Establish the pooja room right from the entry. The entry to the pooja room should have a threshold that should typically be marginally elevated from the rest of the room. Create the pooja room’s ceiling in the form of a pyramid. The pyramid shape is rather auspicious for a pooja room. The Havan Kund or Agnikund should be situated in the south-east corner of the pooja room. While photographs of deceased ancestors in pooja rooms are very prevalent in Indian homes, this should be strictly avoided according to Vastu shastra. Never store a waste bin in or near the pooja area; not even outside of the entrance to the room where you have constructed your pooja space. Understand that your pooja room is a space for meditation and prayer. Don’t use it to conceal your valuables. In truth, avoid hiding or keeping any money there altogether.
Conclusion
While constructing a pooja room in your home, particularly one with limited space, storing of prayer accessories turns into a major issue. From holy texts to lamps, coils, tiny artificial wreaths and other necessities of daily prayer, a proper space is required for all of them to keep the pooja room tidy and uncluttered. When building storage cabinets, make sure they are in the south direction and are not placed above the idols if your mandir is in the hallway, living room or somewhere else.
Although it isn’t ideal to build a pooja room inside the kitchen, those who have small houses may place it in the kitchen, but also ensure that it’s Vastu compliant. The mandir should not be stored in the kitchen by the stove or underneath the sink. The north-east corner is known to be the best position in the kitchen to put your mandir.
