Not everyone believes in Vastu Shastra – but for the ones who do, you know how important it is in having a happy home environment. What many don’t know is that vastu shastra is a science, ‘shastra’ literally translates to ‘science’. It isn’t mere mumbo-jumbo! Vastu is essential for your entire home, but particularly for your pooja room. The pooja room is the soul of your home – it is the birthplace of positive and holy vibes. But vastu doshas with respect to your pooja room design can stop the flow of good spirits into your home. So here are some vastu tips to get your pooja room design right!

Vastu Tips for Pooja Room #1: Direction & Location

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Bells in the pooja room evoke auspicious vibes

Often, while designing homes, people build pooja rooms as per convenience and not vastu principles. The direction and location of your pooja room help in harnessing the positive energies entering your home.

Placing your pooja room in the southern section of your home is a big vastu dosha. So is placing the pooja room under a staircase, against the wall of a bathroom or in the basement.

These design mistakes can stop the flow of holy spirits from the pooja room to the rest of the home.

How to fix it?

The North-East direction is considered to be the best direction for the pooja room. This is because Jupiter is the lord of the North-East and this direction is called Ishan Kona or Abode of God/Jupiter. The simplest way to ensure that there is no vastu dosha in your pooja room is to ask your builder to dedicate the North-East section of the home for the pooja room. You must also ensure that there are no bathrooms or stairways next to the pooja room. In case your house is already built and you cannot change the pooja room direction, you can buy a small mandir unit and place it in the North-East.

Pro Tip: Vastu shastra says not to keep a mandir in your bedroom. However, if you must keep it, then place it in such a way that your feet do not point towards the mandir. Also, keep the mandir covered with a drape when not in use.

Vastu Tips for Pooja Room #2: Structure

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A gopura-shaped mandir captures divine energies

In general, people choose pooja room designs that match the décor of their homes. To suit the minimal designs of modern Indian homes, pooja room designs are evolving to become more contemporary and angular. However, this can be a massive vastu dosha.

The structure of the pooja room determines what type of energies are entering your home. A pooja room that has a modern rectangular roof will fail to ooze positivity into your home.

How to fix it?

The structure of your pooja room serves two purposes – harnessing positive energies and creating a meditative atmosphere. Thus, one of the most important vastu tips for the pooja room is to have a low ceiling with a pyramid-shaped roof. This creates symmetry and helps in maximising positive vibrations. Ditch the more modern designs and get a gopura-shaped pooja unit. Also, try to keep a threshold at the entrance of the pooja room, if possible. This prevents negativity from entering the space.

Pro Tip: No space for a gopura-shaped temple in your home? No problem! Just get a wooden or marble shelf with a pyramid-shaped top and place your idols on it.

Vastu Tips for Pooja Room #3: Entrance

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A threshold stops insects from entering when you offer food to the idols

The entrance to your pooja room is the threshold through which sacred energies pass into the rest of your home. An entrance that has a vastu dosha will stop the flow of positivity.

A pooja room without a door is bad according to vastu. This is because, without a door, the pious energies inside a pooja room can weaken.

Moreover, having only one door is also not advisable as per vastu shastra. This is because a single, outward-opening door can come in the way of the one praying, thereby disturbing their meditative state.

How to fix it?

To fix any vastu doshas at the entrance of your pooja room, all you need to do is add two doors. Most pooja rooms already come with a single door. Call your carpenter to build another pair of doors at the entrance. If space is the problem, you can opt for sliding shutters like this pooja room.

Pro Tip: If building a door isn’t possible due to space or financial constraints, just drape a curtain to act as a makeshift door.

Vastu Tips for Pooja Room #4: Colours to use

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Light colours create an aura of peace

Colours play a significant role in vastu shastra. Not all colours are conducive to positivity. Vastu shastra teachings are strictly against dark colours in the pooja room. Why can you not use dark shades?

Colours like black and brown harness negativity and make a space look cramped, thereby disrupting the meditative atmosphere in a pooja room.

However, in Indian homes, you will find most mandir units made of dark wood. This is a vastu dosha, hampering the entry of divinity into your home.

How to fix it?

So which colours should you choose for your pooja room? Opt for light colours like white and yellow. These create an aura of peace and serenity, beneficial for praying. In case you already have a pooja unit in a dark shade that you do not want to change, consider painting the wall behind the unit in a light shade. Also, add ample lighting to the unit to negate the dark colour.

Pro Tip: A white or light-yellow coloured marble pooja unit is the epitome of auspiciousness!

Vastu Tips for Pooja Room #5: Idol Placement

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Keep photos of deities instead of idols

What’s more important than the mandir itself? Yes, it’s the idol placement!

Unlike popular belief, placing idols in the pooja room goes against vastu shastra. The reason is that for idols, you must conduct Pran-Prithishtha and offer prayers every day.

Failure to do so can result in negative energies in your home. So, placing idols in your pooja room goes against pooja room vastu tips.

How to fix it?

Instead of idols, opt for photos of deities which you can place in your pooja room. Not only does this follow vastu principles, but also takes up less space in compact pooja rooms. You can fill your mandir with as many photos of deities as you want. But remember not to keep any photos of war, violence and dead people.

Pro Tip: We, as Indians, love our Ganesha and Laxmi idols! If you want to keep an idol, ensure that it is on the east or west side of the room. Also, place them a few inches away from the wall and at your chest level when you are sitting down.

Vastu Tips for Pooja Room #6: Storage for Samagri

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Storage should be below your idols

Your holy space does not only consist of the deities, but also pooja accessories like diyas, prayer books, prayer mats, oil and more. Thus, storage is an essential part of a good pooja room design. As per vastu shastra, nothing should be placed above your idol. This means that any and all storage should be below the idols.

Storage above idols is a mark of disrespect. It also affects the free flow of light and energies.

How to fix it?

While designing your pooja room, tell your designer that storage cabinets should be below the pooja unit. This is not only beneficial as per vastu but also convenient as it is easy to reach things which are kept at ground level.

Pro Tip: Place storage units against the south or west wall to ensure that nothing is blocking the sunlight flowing in.

Following these vastu tips for your pooja room will ensure that your home oozes with divine energies. Want more vastu tips? Check out these vastu teachings for your new home.

Check out vastu tips for your pooja room:

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