Temples of Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry: Worship, Etiquette and Appreciation

A gopuram at Uthirakosamangai

Sanctum with Chandikeshwarar shrine in front - Tirupathur

Sculptural art - Thadikombu

A Gajaprishta vimanam - Vadathirumullaivayil

Inscription on temple wall

Outer prakaram

Temple murals

Inner prakaram

Koshtam and idol

Temples are primarily places of worship. As such, they should be treated with respect by the temple-goer, regardless of whether the visitor is a devotee or a casual visitor. But temples are also repositories of art and architecture that are unique to South India and can be of immense interest to people who are not devotees. For the devotee, visiting a temple is a divine experience and brings spiritual satisfaction. For the casual visitor or the dedicated temple enthusiast, it is a different experience of appreciating and understanding the cultural and historical value of these temples. A proper understanding of the process of worship, the established etiquette, expected decorum and usual rituals is useful both for Hindu people who visit temples infrequently as well as the outsider who rarely if ever has visited a temple. The temples are welcoming spaces and as long as the casual visitors follow basic rules, they can appreciate the historical and cultural aspects of these temples without any apprehension.

Worship in South Indian temples, especially in Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry are mostly individual and personal experiences and are not usually congregational, except on special days. In some other parts of India they can be congregational with Bhajans etc. Congregational or social worship is mostly confined to festivals and other special days. On most days, worshippers will come and go individually or in small groups or families and move through the temple at their own pace. They worship at the sanctum sanctorum and other subsidiary shrines. They rarely interact with other worshippers. A day in the function of a temple revolves around its poojas, which in fully functional temples consists of six events at various times of the day. The six auspicious times are Usathkaalam (உசத்காலம்), Kaalasandhi (காலசந்தி), Uchikaalam (உச்சிகாலம்), Saayaratchai (சாயரட்சை), Irandaam Kaalam (இரண்டாம் காலம்) and Artha Saamam (அர்த்த சாமம்). Usathkaalam is when the deity is woken up, bathed, dressed and decorated. It occurs predawn at around 5-6 am. Kaalasandhi is the morning worship and is a more elaborate affair with abhishekam, alankaram and naivedyam. The deity is again bathed, dressed and fed. This occurs around 8-9 am. The next pooja is around noon, between 11:30 and 12:30, and again involves naivedyam or feeding the deity. It is known as the Uchikaala pooja. After that, the temple will be closed for the afternoon rest. The temple will open again around 4 pm in time for the Saayaratchai or evening worship at sunset when the deity is decorated and deepa aradhanai is done with lamps. This will be around 5-6 pm. Then comes the Irandaam Kaalam, the second evening worship around 7:30 to 8 pm when the deity is offered a light meal, together with chants and music. The night worship or Artha Saama Pooja occurs around 8:30 to 9:30 and is the last worship of the day before the deity is readied for bed. These times may differ slightly from temple to temple. The entire temple complex will be closed during the night and in the afternoon. Generally the active temples are open from about 6 am to noon and then from about 4 pm to about 9 pm. But the sad truth is that most temples do not have the six poojas. Many only have one. There are hundreds of temples that are inactive and are in the hands of the ASI or state archeology departments. Active temples come alive at the time of the poojas. Devotees assemble in front of the shrines. Mantras are chanted. Abhishekam, alankaram and naivedyam are offered. Loud music including drums, conches and the nadaswaram are played. They can be noisy affairs. In between poojas the screens in front of the deities are drawn closed and the temple becomes a quiet place. So the experience of the visitor is dependent on the time they visit. It is important to have an idea of the opening and closing times of various temples.

Although there are certain rules that people follow in visiting temples, they are not strictly enforced for the most part. Unless the visitor behaves in an outrageous fashion, nobody will care much about what the visitor does. Nevertheless most devotees follow a certain order of worship and it is good to follow some of those practices which show respect. As people near a temple, the first striking feature they see is the rajagopuram and most people will offer their prayers to it. They bring their palms together and raise them above their heads or bring them close to their chests and offer their prayers to the gopuram with its many idols. Nowadays, temples sometimes front onto busy streets and structures such as sheds have been erected to house vendors in front of temples. Due to this, the gopurams are not readily visible. If the rajagopuram is visible, the visitor might take a few moments to take in the beauty of its construction and the sculptures on it. If the view is obstructed they may get a better look from the inside. There are usually numerous vendors outside or just inside temples selling pooja offerings such as flowers, You may buy some but there is no obligation. Footwear have to be left outside. The inside of temples are usually extremely clean and it is fine to walk barefoot. At midday the stone floor can get quite hot and can be uncomfortable to walk on. A pair of socks are acceptable. Some temples have special stations to leave your foot wear and at others you may want to take them off as close to the entrance as is allowed.

Hindus enter a temple with humility and with clean minds, bodies and attire. Simple and modest attire is desirable. For men, a plain shirt and pants are fine. Given the warm weather, short sleeve shirts will be comfortable. Color does not matter. The occasional temple might insist on men taking their shirt off and enter bare-bodied waist up. Very rarely men may be required to wear a veshti or dhoti but it is not common. Shorts are not allowed. Women can wear any clothing that covers their shoulders and lower legs. Nobody will insist that women wear a saree, although some Indian women will do. A Salwar Kameez or even modest pants with a Kurta would be more than adequate. No tank tops are allowed. It is important that the clothing is clean. Hindus will not consume meat or fish prior to entering a temple. Taking non-vegetarian food inside is strictly prohibited. Every temple will have one or more water bodies associated with it. They are called the "theerthams". In olden times, it was customary for devotees to bathe in the temple tank or nearby river prior to entering the temple. In modern times that is not always practical. Some will visit the theertham and dip their feet in it before heading to the temple. It should be done prior to the temple worship and not after. If there is a facility near the entrance, devotees will wash their feet before entering the temple. Head wear is not allowed for men. Women need not cover their heads as it is usual in other parts of India.

People enter the temple with their right foot put forward. Once you cross the threshold, the first deity to worship is Lord Ganesha. Most will cross their forehands in front of them and knock on their foreheads 3, 5, 7 or 9 times. They may also grab their opposite earlobes and do a semi squat as many times. It is called the Thoppukaranam and is a unique way to worship Lord Vinayagar.

After entering the temple, you worship the Kodimaram or Dwajasthambam, the flagstaff. Next comes the Balipeetam or sacrificial altar. Contrary to first assumptions, it has nothing to with any material or animal sacrifice, It is the place to sacrifice all negative thoughts, ill will and your arrogance. Once you cross the Balipeetam you should have shed your self importance.. Everyone is equal after that point. Next you worship the Vahanam, Nandi in Sivan temples and Garuda in Vishnu temples. This is your last chance to ask anything for yourself from the Lord. Once you enter the sanctum you should not think about yourself at all and only think about the deity.

What the devotee does next is quite flexible. It sometimes depends on traditional customs peculiar to the temple and region. It is also dictated by the timing of the arrival at the temple. The main objective is to see the presiding deity or Moolavar at the sanctum sanctorum. It is called Darshan or Dharisanam. People will also do circumambulation of the deity which is called Pradakshina or Valam in Tamil. Traditionally, devotees will do circumambulation prior to visiting the Moolavar. In some temples it is customary to worship at the shrine of the goddess or Amman sannithy before visiting the Moolavar. If you arrive at a temple before a pooja and have time, you might do the circumambulation before the pooja begins. The Moolavar would be behind a screen at that time. If you enter a temple when the pooja to the main deity is happening, it is quite alright to head directly to the sanctum as it might be your only chance for getting a direct darshan. You can do the circumambulation later.

The pooja will consist of chanting mantras and a set of rituals. It is not necessary to be present for the entire ceremony, The public will be allowed only into the Artha Mandapam. Only the priests will enter the sanctum. If you had brought some offering such as flowers you may give it to the priest. It has been customary for centuries to place money on the priest's tray or "thattu" when he comes out periodically during the pooja as a tribute for his services. The government which now owns the temples, forbids this practice as it wants that revenue for itself. People still do it, albeit a bit discreetly. The temple administrations encourage you to buy an archana ticket which is bought at the temple office near the entrance. An archanai is a personal pooja that you can request for yourself or for your loved ones. The priest will ask you for your name and astrological birth star if you know it. The priest in turn might give you some of the offerings such as flowers to take back home. It is always handy to carry an eco-friendly cloth bag bought at most temples to keep the offerings. If you are in a hotel you can take it back to your hotel room and the staff will dispose of them appropriately. You should not throw it outside the temple as some do. During the pooja the priest might give some Vibuthi, Kungumam and Santhanam, which should taken by the right hand. After applying to the forehead, the remainder should be carefully disposed of.

The Pradakshina or circumambulation is usually done in a clockwise direction in most temples. There are some exceptions where it is done in the opposite direction. In some temples they have a special route with alternating clockwise and anticlockwise portions. But it is safe to take a clockwise direction. They are done one, three, five, seven or nine times and never in even numbers. Devotees will circumambulate in a sedate pace without hurrying and stop at various sub-shrines to worship. There will sub-shrines dedicated to Lord Ganesha, Lord Muruga and others. There will be various idols in the niches or koshtams. In Sivan temples there are usually idols for Dakshinamurthy, Lingothbavar, Perumal, Durga, Brahma etc. Near the outer wall of the sanctum, usually on the north side there is a small shrine for Lord Chandikeswarar, the keeper of accounts. It is customary to for people to rub their hands softly while worshipping him . This apparently is to declare that the visitor is not stealing anything from the temple, Some people clap loudly with their hands which is frowned upon at most temples. It is customary to also stop at the shrine of the Navagraha (the nine celestial bodies) and worship them by circumambulating their sub-shrine. Temples have more than one circumambulatory pathway or prakaram. Some have upto seven. They are in odd numbers. They sometimes house the temple garden and orchard, the temple tree or thalavirutcham and the sanctuary for cows and other animals. So it is customary to circumambulate the outer pathways also.

For the casual visitor, the circumambulation is an opportunity take in the beauty and historical significance of the temple. You can take time to move at your own pace and explore the sculptures, architecture, inscriptions, paintings, murals etc. The beauty of the vimanam is best appreciated here. There are vantage points from which you can see a number of the towers including gopurams and vimanams at the same time. Photography, especially of the idols in the sanctums is generally prohibited but taking a discrete photo in the prakarams with a mobile phone is usually ignored. Loud conversations, gesturing and walking back and forth are usually frowned upon. Silence is maintained. Speak softly if you have to.

Before exiting the temple most visitors will also spend some time in the various mandapams which have ornately carved pillars from different eras, They have sculptures from Hindu mythology and the epics like the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. In Sivan temples it is customary to sit on the floor in one of the mandapams, in contemplation or meditation for a few minutes before leaving the temple. Some will prostrate themselves near the kodimaram with their head pointing north. Men do the eight point contact with the ground called the Ashtanga Namaskaram. Women engage in the Panchanga Namaskaram or five point contact with the ground. As you exit the temple you turn towards the sanctum and worship the Moolavar one last time and step backwards as you step out and then turn around.

This constitutes a brief overview of the temple visit both for general devotees and casual visitors alike. It is certainly not a comprehensive guide. As pointed above many temples have variations on this general theme based on tradition, practicality and crowd management requirements. The visit can also be shortened due to time constraints. But this will give most visitors a general framework to understand what goes on in a temple. It will help them to make sense of the customs and make their visit a richer experience.

Sources: Dinamalar - கோயிலில் வழிபடும் முறை 2017

Vikatan - கோயில் வழிபாட்டில் கடைபிடிக்க வேண்டிய 50 விதிகள் 2016