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| | Your Puja Room | | | The advent of Ganesh Chaturthi marks the start of the Indian festival season with the Dusserah and Diwali coming within the next 60 days..One room in Hindu homes that would take the maximum load now, would be the Puja room.
Ancient India INDIA was deeply rooted in spirituality. Earlier, the practice of building a ‘Puja’ room inside a house was not there. There used to be a separate place outside the house for the family deity. It was known as ‘Kudumbakshethram’ or family temple. Only in Brahmin houses you would have a ‘Puja’ place set up inside the house. They were called ‘Thevarapura.’ A great deal of sanctity was observed in these houses through which many rituals evolved.
In olden days, the Puja Room was an annexe in itself, being planned as meticulously as the main house and elders ensured that many basic principles embedded in Hinduism were followed.
You would find in almost all the Indian Hindu Homes, a separate room is kept for ” Puja ” or praying. This room is called the “Puja Room” and in this room, the deities and God’s idols are kept. Puja rooms are decorated with these idols in silver or chrome frames, with lots of flowers and miniature jewelry or simply idols are painted in beautiful colours and are made of clay. In addition to the idols, there are many items kept for worshipping in the Puja room. The Puja room is also used by some for meditation. Even if there a space constraint in the house in any Indian Home, a small space, anywhere in the house is reserved to perform all kind of traditional rituals and Puja.
A typical Puja room is decorated with pure simplicity.
According to a Vaastu expert,“ Apart from on the east facing, the room of the God should be painted in earthy colors and should also have a wooden door. It could be a grand one with ornamentation or a simple one with minimum ethnic touches depending upon the status of an individual.” These days, due to lack of space, there are portable mandirs in every house. The mandirs are even made of whitewood, combination of wood and silver, depending upon individual choice and affordability to buy a particular individual”.
Vaastu Shastra stipulates certain conditions for the location of the Puja room. But in modern days it is difficult to follow it in metros. The rules are"
The Puja room should be in the East, North or North-East corner.
l If it is a very big plot the prayer room can be constructed in the center of the plot or center of the building.
l The Puja room should always be on the ground floor and never in the basement.
l The Puja room should not be on the upper floors.
l If you do not have space for a Puja room, you can have a mandir in the North-East corner of the kitchen, with the deity facing west.
l The Puja room should never be in the bedroom.
l Ensure that the Toilet is not adjoining the Puja room, and not even above or below the prayer room.
More often than not, the space that’s considered the most sacred is sadly also the most neglected . All it takes is a little imagination and some effort to ensure that your puja room not just exudes reverence, but is high on the aesthetics quotient too!
Considering space crunch issues in most suburban homes, having a separate puja room isn’t always a viable solution. “My one – BHK apartment doesn’t offer me the luxury of a puja chamber,” says Pune based homemaker Anju Chotrani , who’s visibly pleased with her “out of the box thinking” with the deities kept in a box..”My puja chamber is basically a space saving contraption…. A decorative box housing my many gods - hung from the wall of my bedroom” saya another housewife Janaki Swamy and adds , “Besides , there’s enough space for my agarbatti stand and other sundry puja items”,
While most households have a sacrosanct place where the family deity and gods are housed, many homeowners find it tricky to decide on the right location for this place. The ishanya or the north east corner is the most ideal location for the puja room, says Vaastu consultant Shriniwas Prasad.. Once the location has been decided proper planning must follow. “First procure the idols of the deities and place them on a raised platform, preferably on a low stool covered with a clean piece of cloth or then on a wooden / brass shrine”, offers interior designer Shalini Bhatt.
It’s all about complementing practicality with aesthetic sensibility . It’s important to take care of practical aspects such as getting an incense container to keep the incense sticks in; a stand to set the sticks on, a matchbox to light them, etc. However one shouldn’t neglect the aesthetic aspect either. You can place small, elegant earthen or brass diyas with oil and cotton wicks in front of the deity.
You could get a little creative and place a wall hanging with some inscriptions in Sanskrit or then, you could hang an ethnic carpet on a strategic wall of Puja room,” says Ms. Bhatt another Mumbai housewife.
Colours can change the entire look of the room. While lighter shades like whites and pastels are considered perfect for the puja room, slightly brighter shades like blues and greens can create a vibrant and cosy environment , offers interior decorator Hemant Jhaveri.
Incidentally, it’s often advised to avoid curtains in the puja room, considering that they’re likely to increase the incidence of fire. But then, you can always go in for cropped curtains… you don’t need to have them touching the floor or hovering just above the carpet. Just let them hang out halfway between the ledge and the floor, maintans Jhaveri..
Though it is fun to get a little adventurous while planning the puja room, certain auspicious must dos have to be kept in mind. Some things are a definite no no , says Kolkata based beauty therapist Vandana Sharma. That apart, cleanliness is a must in the puja room, maintains Ms Sharma, it’s important to keep the place sparkling clean. After all, cleanliness and bright illumination are pre requisites for devotional space she adds.
—(Maharaja Features) |
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