Tips to Keep in Mind When Visiting Temples in India
India is one of the most diverse countries in the world when it comes to housing a diverse group of cultures, religions, and beliefs. It is home to all sorts of important structures and monuments from many cultures, including Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism. There are a huge number of these important sites all over India, but temples are by far the most common.
Temples around India are mostly structures of religious importance to the Hindu culture with some of them being devoted to Buddhist culture. The local population of India is very serious when it comes to maintaining decorum and respect towards the deities, the temples are dedicated to. Not following the basic norms and decorum near these places can get you into a lot of trouble.
What to keep in mind when visiting any temple in India?
Temples around India are very popular places for tourism. So, let's see some tips to keep in mind when visiting any temple in India.
Wear Modest Clothing
Clothes that show too much skin are seen as obscene in India, and most locals won't take kindly to strangers roaming around in such clothing. While wandering around in shorts won't cause too many issues far away from any temples, if you are close to one, you can get into serious trouble.
Wearing such clothes near religious monuments is seen as highly disrespectful in every culture in India. For visiting temples, consider wearing traditional Indian clothes as these are seen as modest forms of clothing. If you have an Indian-style dress, a temple visit serves as a great opportunity to try them out.
You will also be judged favorably by the locals if they see foreigners wearing traditional clothes. It is not mandatory to wear traditional dresses in temples. As long as you wear clothes that cover your arms and legs, you should be fine around these places.
Remove any Shoes Outside the Temple
A good habit that almost everyone adopts at an early age is to remove your shoes before entering someone's home. While it may not be a mandatory thing to do, it certainly is when entering any temple grounds in India. It is one of the basic things that you will see every local do when they visit a temple.
There are also empty spaces and facilities near temples which are provided to keep your shoes safe while you spend your time inside the temple.
Clean your Hands and Feet
In most temples, you will see a tap of water where you will see the locals cleaning their hands and feet. This is a common tradition that is followed in almost every temple around India and it should be the first thing you should do as soon as you enter the temple premises.
Bring Some Offerings
While this is not mandatory to do if you don't wish to, it is very common that you will observe what most locals do when greeting the many statues of different gods that are housed within a temple. If you wish to partake in the tradition of honoring the gods of a temple, then you can usually find vendors outside temples selling offerings that you can offer to the temple.
These will include mostly fruits, cloth, flowers, and leaves along with some oil. You can then take these offerings inside the temple and offer them to either the priest or the statues of the gods by placing the items near the statues.
Start Your Exploration Clockwise
Even if you visit a temple that is supposed to be devoted to just one god, it is unlikely that the temple will only house artifacts and statues of that one god. Most temples have a large collection of statues devoted to several different gods. When you start to explore the temple, start from the left side or explore in a clockwise manner.
This is considered important in several cultures so make sure to start in this way. When you approach a statue or picture of a god, hold your hands together close to your chest in the Namaste gesture. Close your eyes and bow to the god for a short while, then move to the next god.
Remember to Accept the Gifts
Once you are done exploring the temple and greeting all the gods, you will notice that a priest is close to the exit giving offerings to each person who is leaving the premises. This is a common tradition where each guest of the temple is given something before they leave. It is usually going to be some fruits, sugar, dry fruits, or some dish that is prepared as an offering.
Don't hesitate to accept it when leaving and enjoy the offering outside the temple.
Keep your Camera Closed Inside
Temples around India are admittedly made in very intricate and unique designs that may prompt you to take photos of the place. Taking pictures of your journey is a major part of any trip. However, while you won't face any issues when taking pictures of the temple from outside, don't click any pictures when inside the main building.
Doing this is not only seen as very disrespectful, but is also prohibited in many temples which can get you into legal trouble if you do it. So, make sure to keep your cameras and mobile phones closed and inside your bags when entering the main temple building. If you are unsure about where you can click pictures on the temple grounds, check with the priest of the temple.
Research the Temple You Wish to Visit
While the above-mentioned rules are universally followed in almost every temple in India, there are some famous temples that have special restrictions that you must be aware of before visiting. For example, the Sabarimala temple which is located in the state of Kerala has a rule that does not allow women to enter the temple premises.
The Somnath temple in the state of Gujarat also has a similar rule where if you are a non-Hindu, then you need prior permission from the temple's authorities before you are allowed to enter the sacred temple. Several temples in India have strict rules like this. So, make sure you research any of these temples before you visit them in person.
Also if possible, remove any leather items that you may possess such as belts, bags, and wallets. If you have leather clothing, then consider changing into some other clothes that are not made of leather. In some temples, leather items are prohibited due to it being made from animal skin, such as cow.
The cow is considered the most holy animal in Hindu culture and thus it will be seen as highly disrespectful to carry such items with you inside a temple.
India is one of the most culturally diverse countries in the whole world. There are multiple cultures that are free to follow their beliefs and have their own religious sites and monuments scattered all around the country.
Among these religious monuments, the most common are the temples which are largely associated with the Hindu culture with some being dedicated to Buddhism and Sikhism.
The locals of India have set norms that they follow wherever they go and expect tourists to follow as well. However, these norms are especially enforced in areas like temples where ignoring the norms can cause serious trouble for any tourist. Luckily, these norms are easy to follow so they don't hinder your experience too much when visiting these popular places of tourism in India. So, if you are looking to explore the many temples of India, prepare your e-visa and travel itinerary before you embark on your holy journey.
Ensure you have checked your eligibility for Indian e-Visa. Citizens of most countries including Danish citizens, French citizens, Irish citizens, Australian citizens and Jamaican citizens are eligible for Indian e-Visa.