Importance of Pooja Room in House

The Hindu families are very spiritual and conduct pooja at least twice in a day. A traditional Hindu household always has a separate room for Pooja and holy rituals. The rituals actually lead to peace and sanctity in the household. The Pooja room is a separate room where all the idols are placed in a peculiar order. These may include idols of Lord Ganesh, Lord Vishnu, Lord Shiva and Goddess Laxmi. Apart from the idols, the Pooja room also has an incense stand with incense sticks placed on it. You may also find a Pooja Thali in the Pooja room. You will also find pooja lamps in the pooja room.

The Hindus believe in multiple gods and each God has a special role to play in the lives of each Hindu individual. Goddess Laxmi is the goddess of wealth and prosperity. Goddess Saraswati is the giver of knowledge. The Lord Shiva is regarded as the destroyer of all evils. Lord Ganesha gets rid of all hurdles and problems that prevent us from progressing. Each deity has a special duty towards the individuals in the house. Having a Pooja room in the house helps to retain the positive energy and nice environment.

Hindu households usually follow several pooja routines. They chant the Gayatri mantra early in the mornings as it is known to bring positive vibrations into the house. They also do the Japa where the 101 names of the lord are chanted aloud. The prayer session in the morning may last for over an hour. There is a prayer session in the evening too. The old women in the house chant these mantras by using the Rudraksha necklace.

A Pooja room has the greatest significance in the Hindu household. It is placed in the prime location of the room. The Hindu families regard the house to belong to the Lord and the Pooja Room is always the best room. When we assume that the house belongs to the lord, we are saved of pride that comes with prosperity. This way, a sane and happy living is ensured.

During festivals and occasions, the Pooja room is thoroughly decorated. The Hindus use garlands of marigold flowers to decorate the doors of the Pooja rooms. The incense sticks burn the entire day during such special occasions and festivals. There is a piggy bank placed in the Pooja room where people put money as offering to God.

You need to follow the Vaastu Shastra guidelines while deciding the location of the Pooja Room. Here we have listed out a few of the major Vaastu guidelines that may help you decide the location of the Pooja room.

• The North East corner of the house is usually regarded as the most sacred corner for carrying out holy rituals. This is where the Pooja room should be ideally placed. A pooja room in a household helps to add positive energy. It is also the direction that receives the positive morning rays of the sun.
• The guidelines as per Vaastu prevent the Pooja room to be located in the bedroom as it is the room for pleasure. In rare cases, the pooja room is placed in a bedroom. In such circumstances, you need to ensure that your leg is never in the direction of the Pooja room.
• The Pooja room should not be placed above, below or opposite the toilet as this may cause a negative energy flow.
• The Pooja room should not be located where the staircase ends.
• You should also keep in mind that the Pooja room should not be located adjacent to a kitchen.
• The rules to locate a Pooja room are different for large plots, factories or organisations. In such places, the Pooja room should be located at the centre. This centre position is referred to as the Brahmasthana.
• The pooja room must have a roof that is either dome shaped or pyramid shaped. These are shapes that ensure a smooth flow of energy. Rooms with such roofs are said to be ideal for meditation.
• The colour choices for the Pooja room should be done to enable distraction free praying. The ideal colours would be cream, light yellow, pale purple and other subtle shades.
• The room should have doors and windows facing either the north or the east.
• The doors and windows should be made of good quality wood. They should have double shutters as this indicates the sanctity of the Pooja room.
• There are special locations prescribed for different Hindu deities. The deities of the trinity Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh should be placed in the east and facing the west. The idols of Ganesh, Durga and Bhairav should be placed in the north so that they face the south.
• Lord Maruti’s idol should be placed north-east in a manner that it faces south west. It should not be placed south-east as this may cause a fire hazard in your home.
• It is said that the idols bought from ancient temples should not be placed in the Pooja room of your house.
• While many people do place the photographs of the deceased with that of the deities, it is regarded as inauspicious and not advisable.
• The idols in the pooja room should always be placed on a singhasan. It is said that the height of these idols should not exceed 18 inches.
• Items in the pooja room like the Holy Scriptures and clothes of the deities should be placed along the west or the south wall.
• The lamp in the room should always be placed in the southeast direction. This is the direction governed by Lord Agni.
• Do not conceal money or other valuables in the Pooja room.
• Pooja room is not meant for sleeping and you should never sleep in the Pooja room.

You will have to make a few purchases to ensure that the Pooja room is well equipped. The items that you commonly require in a Pooja room include a bell, incense stand, lamps, portraits of various Gods and Goddesses, a pooja thali, silver containers for turmeric and sandalwood powder and other pooja items. Camphor tablets may be required for the evening Aarti. You may also have to purchase aarti books and books with God’s names.

The Pooja Rooms can be designed in many different shapes and forms. The pooja room usually has a place for each idol. This place or temple can be made either from Brass, Bronze or wood. Some of these pooja rooms are even made from marble. Wood Pooja temples are usually made from sandalwood. The temples usually have intricate carvings that depict Apsaras and flowers.