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Thread: Setup of POOJA ALTAR

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  1. #1
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    Smile Setup of POOJA ALTAR

    Can a knowledgeable person please enlighten me on the setup of my prayer altar place please.

    To start off with I have got a different prayer room. I have got the following deities:

    Shri Ganesh
    Shri Murugan
    Shiv Bhagwan and Parvati mata with Ganesh ji sitting on Shiv Bhagwan's lap
    Nandi
    Durga Mata
    Natraj Bhagwan
    Kali Mata
    Shri Hari Vishnu
    Laxmi Mata
    Ram Darbar
    Hanuman ji
    Shri Radha Krishna
    Bal Krishna
    Gou (Cow) Mata
    Saraswati Mata

    I understand that Principal Gods (Shiv Bhagwan, Parvati Mata and Laxmi Narayan) are given the highest altar place.

    Demigods like Rama and Krishna are given are given a slightly lower altar place then Narayan and likewise demigods of demigods (like anjaneya) are given a lower altar place then Rama.

    Can someone please verify these for me. Can you please tell which deities "from the ones that I have" to put on the highest position of the altar, the second position and third forth so on......

    Dhanyavaad
    Jai Sia Ram

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    Re: Setup of POOJA ALTAR

    Namaste,

    I look foward to someone giving you a good answer. If you dont mind can you post a picture of your shrine? We have a thread here http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/sho...1378#post31378 to post pics of our shrines.

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    Re: Setup of POOJA ALTAR

    Quote Originally Posted by ravrajsharma View Post
    Can a knowledgeable person please enlighten me on the setup of my prayer altar place please.

    To start off with I have got a different prayer room. I have got the following deities:

    Shri Ganesh
    Shri Murugan
    Shiv Bhagwan and Parvati mata with Ganesh ji sitting on Shiv Bhagwan's lap
    Nandi
    Durga Mata
    Natraj Bhagwan
    Kali Mata
    Shri Hari Vishnu
    Laxmi Mata
    Ram Darbar
    Hanuman ji
    Shri Radha Krishna
    Bal Krishna
    Gou (Cow) Mata
    Saraswati Mata

    I understand that Principal Gods (Shiv Bhagwan, Parvati Mata and Laxmi Narayan) are given the highest altar place.

    Demigods like Rama and Krishna are given are given a slightly lower altar place then Narayan and likewise demigods of demigods (like anjaneya) are given a lower altar place then Rama.

    Can someone please verify these for me. Can you please tell which deities "from the ones that I have" to put on the highest position of the altar, the second position and third forth so on......

    Dhanyavaad
    Jai Sia Ram
    My guess is you are from Fiji, having emigrated to New Zealand. Let me know if my guess was correct.

    Aum

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    Re: Setup of POOJA ALTAR

    Correct Sarji how did you know!!!

    I'l post my altar pics once I have arranged them properly!!! (Can you give me advice on this pls)

    AUM

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    Re: Setup of POOJA ALTAR

    I`m sorry, but I am not at all qualified to give you any advice. My shrine is posted here in the .. picture of your shrine.. thread. It`s under a post by Star. It will be a lot different than yours. Perhaps a Fijian elder or your parents can help you.

    Aum

  6. #6
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    Re: Setup of POOJA ALTAR

    Here are some guidelines/practices that I know of/found out in the Net. It is evident that we cannot follow all the rules and regulations (or even know to what extent they are right), so let us go by what we are convinced about and can achieve best.

    Puja room: Vastu guidelines

    • The puja room is best located at the NE corner of the house in terms of Vastu. A water source such as the well, is also best located at the NE of the house plot.

    • Other desired directions for location of the puja room are East or North, but not South.

    • If it is a very big plot the puja room can be constructed in the center of the plot or center of the building.

    • Puja room or shrine should not be located in the bedroom.

    • Puja room should not be above electrical appliances or gas stoves.

    • Puja room wall should not touch or share the same wall as the toilet. Ensure that the toilet is not adjoining the puja room, not opposite, and not even above or below the prayer room.

    • Puja room and shrine should be immaculately clean and neat; avoid dirt or clutter and keep it fragrant.

    • Puja room should always be on the ground floor and never in the basement.

    • The roof of the puja room should be lower in comparison to the other rooms on the same floor. One can use false ceiling for the same, if major renovation not possible. It is beneficial to build a threshold at the entrance of the puja room.

    • White or light yellow marble work in the room is auspicious. The color of the walls can be white, light yellow or light blue.

    • The doors of the puja room should not close or open automatically. A spring or door-closer should not be fixed on this door.

    • The materials required for the Puja or the Puja Samigri should be kept in the South East direction. The puja room should not be used as a store for other materials. Any item, showpiece, images of god etc. removed from puja room for any reason should not be kept elsewhere in the house, and should be properly 'visarjit' (disposed of) in a river.

    • If you are forced to have your prayer in the kitchen, have your deity in the North-east of the kitchen, facing west. Never have the prayer area in the bedroom.

    Puja room shrine

    The puja room shrine is usually a shelf with wooden/concrete or Cuddapah/marble/granite stone partitions with an altar at the bottom of the shelf for doing puja. It is convenient to have the shelf closed with doors which can have decorative perforations to hang little bells that chime as you open or close the doors. The bells can also chimed during a puja, in addition to chiming the bell exclusively used in pujas.

    • If a mandir (shrine) is built of wood, steel etc. the top of the shrine should never be pointed/sharp.

    • The image or portrait of the Kula Devata (family deity) as well as the IShTa Devata (preferred deity) should have prominent places in the puja room. Since Ganesha is worshipped first in all pujas, it is customary to place his image or portrait too in a prominent position. Portraits of other Gods are placed according to preferences and convenience.

    • Since we do puja sitting on the floor of the room, it is convenient to have the images/portraits we do puja to, in the bottom row of the shrine. The image/portrait we do puja to may be taken out and placed on the altar (that usually prutrudes the bottom compartments of the shrine-shelf, decorated and worshipped. Where this is not possible, puja can be done to the portrait in its own area in the shrine, although some pujas might have regulations regarding placement of image/portrait.

    • East and the north are the two acceptable orientations for the base of Shiva lingam in any temple as stipulated in Agama Shastra. So the base Shiva lingam is noticed either facing East or North direction in any temple. While the devotee, who is worshipping Shiva Lingam is facing the East the base of Shiva Lingam shall be oriented towards north dirction. When the disciple is facing north while worshipping, the base of Shiva Lingam shall be oriented towards East. Base here shall mean the point from where the Abhishek liquid (Water or Panchamrit) flows out of Shiva Lingam.

    • The images/portraits of Gods may face any direction except South. Images should not be kept facing each other. Broken images and torn pictures should not be kept in the puja room. We should not face South as we prostrate to the deities.

    • The faces of god should not be covered with anything including garlands and flowers.

    • If a lamp is placed in the puja room, it should always be in front of the god.

    • No bell should be hung in the puja room.

    • Never place any photographs to dead people in the pooja room.
    रत्नाकरधौतपदां हिमालयकिरीटिनीम् ।
    ब्रह्मराजर्षिररत्नाढ्यां वन्दे भारतमातरम् ॥

    To her whose feet are washed by the ocean, who wears the Himalayas as her crown, and is adorned with the gems of rishis and kings, to Mother India, do I bow down in respect.

    --viShNu purANam

  7. #7
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    Re: Setup of POOJA ALTAR

    Puja room wall should not touch or share the same wall as the toilet. Ensure that the toilet is not adjoining the puja room, not opposite, and not even above or below the prayer room.
    Obviously my father-in-law didn't know about this requirement, as their Puja room is right next to the bathroom in the guest bedroom, and I also think that there's a bathroom on top of it.

    Since we do puja sitting on the floor of the room, it is convenient to have the images/portraits we do puja to, in the bottom row of the shrine. The image/portrait we do puja to may be taken out and placed on the altar (that usually prutrudes the bottom compartments of the shrine-shelf, decorated and worshipped. Where this is not possible, puja can be done to the portrait in its own area in the shrine, although some pujas might have regulations regarding placement of image/portrait.
    Puja is not always done sitting on the floor. My wife's grandfather does his puja standing up, and his altar is set up for that.

    Never place any photographs to dead people in the pooja room.
    Not true. South Indians keep pictures of their departed family members in their puja room, usually off to the right hand side. My wife's grandfather has a table on the right hand side of his puja room with four pictures of his departed relatives. He offers the incense and lamp to them before he begins the puja to the Gods on his altar. Last year, on Deepavali eve, he had special prayers for his departed wife (my wife's grandmother). I was shocked to see the family putting meat, alcohol and a cigarette on the table where the pictures are located. I asked my wife's aunt about this, and she said that it is okay since the altar has been closed off (there was a curtain hung in front of it and the picture of Sarasvati to the right was also covered.)

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