Vastu Guidelines While Picking Direction For Your Pooja Room

Home is where the heart is, they say. When you reflect on the best memories you make, the beautiful moments spent in the company of friends and family, and the times you come back to the peace and joy of your home after a stressful day of work, you start to value your house as much more than a financial asset. At the very heart of every home is the pooja room or the home temple, where the family gathers to pray and express gratitude to the Divine. According to Vastu Shastra, the ancient Indian practice of design and décor, the pooja room and the energies it attracts can influence the health, well-being, and prosperity of the entire family. This makes it important to choose the direction for the pooja room carefully.

Vastu Shastra and the different directions

Vastu scriptures are based on the philosophy that all living beings and non-living objects are imbibed with Prana, the life energy, on a subtle level. On the material plane, they are made up of the pancha tattva or the five elements - air, water, earth, fire, and space. We only attract harmony, happiness, health, and opportunities when these elements are balanced in our homes. The different directions represent unique elements, planets, and divine energies; the home layout and the placement of objects should harmonise these energies. Let us now look at the direction in which the pooja room should be built following Vastu diktats.

Direction for Pooja Room

The east is considered to be an auspicious direction according to Vastu scriptures. The best placement of the home temple or prayer room is east of the home. The northeast direction is also considered holy and can be a good position for your pooja room. A mandir or home temple in the east will face the west and, when placed in the northeast, will also have a west-facing entrance. These are harmonious positions. However, it is important to completely avoid having a temple in the south direction or a temple facing the south.

The Sun governs the east direction and is ruled by the Lord Indra. A temple in this direction brings good health, peace, joy, and abundance to the household.

Placement of the home temple

Apart from the direction, it is important to consider the following factors when designing a prayer room or home temple.

• The pooja room should not be under the stairs or share a common wall with a bathroom.
• In modern flats and apartments, it may not be possible to have a prayer room, and most homeowners have a small mandir or a shelf with pictures or idols of deities. This is acceptable, but it is important to remember that this mandir should not be placed in the kitchen.
• It is also important not to place the mandir in the foyer area or near the entrance of the home. The door of the prayer room should not face the main entrance of the home. Such a placement could drain the positive energies entering the home.

Maintaining your pooja room

Apart from picking the right direction for the pooja room, following these Vastu guidelines for maintaining your home temple is important.

• The idol or the picture of the deity must never be placed on the floor. Use an elevated platform to place the idol or image. It is a good idea to opt for a marble or a wood mandir to create a separate space for the deity.
• If you have a separate room for prayer and worship, it is a good idea to have a window to allow natural light and ventilation. If this is not feasible, the pooja room should be well-lit with lights and lamps.
• Pick a bright colour like white, cream, yellow, orange, or green for the puja room. These attract harmonious vibrations and allow you to focus on your prayers or meditation.
• Clean the room daily and remove any dried flowers or burn-out diyas and ash from incense. It may be a good idea to use easy-to-clean tiles with sacred symbols such as Om or the Swastik sign in your pooja room.
• Use a small cabinet to store all the puja essentials like prayer books, lamps, plates for offerings, bells etc. Declutter the pooja room. The cabinet can be placed in the western direction of the pooja room.
• Wash the prayer mats or rugs that you use regularly. 

The home temple or the pooja room is a sacred space in every home. It is the place where most families start the day with prayer and spend time meditating or focusing on spiritual growth. The room needs to be kept clean and well-maintained at all times.