Last updated on June 23rd, 2023
A pooja room in your home is like an anchor that holds the family together. And there is nothing quite like the sound of cymbals and the heady scent of incense sticks to lift your spirits. It brings positive vibes into your home and helps you in times of stress and anxiety.
This makes a well-planned pooja room a vital part of home décor. So, how do you build a pooja room from scratch? More importantly, what are the factors you should consider to get it right? Let’s find out.
Finding a Home for Your Shrine
The placement of your pooja room is vital. As per the tenets of Vaastu, a pooja room can be placed between the North and the East direction. However, you must make sure the deity faces the East. This way, when you sit down for your morning prayers, you will be facing the rising sun. It works just as well if your deity is facing the South, if East-facing isn’t possible.
We suggest:
-
Get a Vaastu compass to guide you.
-
Consult a Vaastu expert to make sure you get it right.
What about Location?
Direction is one thing. However, there are many other factors to be considered before you start building. The location of your pooja room is also important.
We suggest:
-
Avoid sharing your pooja room wall with the bathroom. Unhygienic elements and religious rituals don’t go together.
-
Never place your pooja room facing the entrance or in your bedroom to avoid unrest in your home.
-
Try not to place your pooja room in a passage for peaceful communication with God.
What about the Size?
In larger homes, you can go all out with a room dedicated to prayer. However, most homes lack this luxury. Suffice it to say, a niche or nook is perfectly fine. If all else fails, create a prayer cabinet.
We suggest:
-
A pooja room or cabinet with a door to shut off the space when you are not praying. This is so that it doesn’t hinder the day-to-day activities, as some things are considered inauspicious. A party with alcohol is a good example. This is something you will feel uncomfortable with when your deity is looking you in the face.
Lighting Up Your Prayer Room
While you would like to give your pooja room lighting the same attention as the rest of the house, make sure to create a calming atmosphere so that spend some peaceful time with your maker. You may want to try lights that focus on your deity to enhance your spiritual experience. What are your other options?
We suggest:
-
Subdued lighting throws shadows around the idol to evoke mystery.
-
Rear lighting that doesn’t focus on the deity for a surreal feel.
Allow for Storage
If you have a designated pooja room, there will be times when family and friends gather for pooja on auspicious days. You will need storage facilities to keep the room pristine.
We suggest:
-
Storage for floor cushions or mats.
-
Drawers and shelves for your prayer beads, books, and pooja paraphernalia.
What about Aesthetics?
It’s all about personal preference. However, you need to keep in mind, that this is a place of worship, and to be in tune with your deity, you need an ambiance that is soothing without over-the-top décor.
We suggest:
-
Natural materials such as marble, Kota stone, or granite.
-
Natural wood is ideal for your temple. However, shop-bought marble temples work well too.
-
Try rough granite or slate for old-world temple charm. It works well as oil stains can be easily washed off from the surface.
-
A Persian carpet to accentuate your look.
Summing Up
The ambiance doesn’t matter if you feel at one with nature and God in your pooja room. So, while you take these factors into account, at the end of the day, it’s about how you perceive things that make a difference. That said, your pooja room needs to be in tune with the rest of your décor, so getting your design quotient right is essential. For tips on building your pooja room from scratch, log in to homebliss.in or contact us today.