Temple Etiquette

We want you to feel very welcome and comfortable at the Sri Kamakhya Mahavidya Mandir, and so we’ve posted these simple etiquette guidelines to help you feel more at ease in our temple space.

1. Always RSVP for puja. Our temple is in part of a private home, and we want to accommodate as many people as possible, so your RSVP makes it easier for us to plan ahead so we have enough food, space, and worship booklets for everyone.
2. Remove your shoes upon entering the house. Shoes may be placed in the entryway on the shoe racks, or next to them in an orderly way.
3. Be on time. But if you arrive late, simply come in, remove your shoes, and enter the mandir room respectfully. We would rather you arrive late than not come at all!
4. Touch the floor upon entering the mandir room. It is customary to touch the floor of the doorway before setting foot into the mandir. This is not required, but it will help you immediately open to the blessings of MAA.
5. Place dakshina (suggested: $21 or more, but even $1 is appreciated) on the altar upon entering the mandir room. You may place dakshina on any of the ten altars for the Mahavidyas. Public worship costs about $100-200 per event, depending on the rituals being performed and the size of the crowd attending, and we rely on donations to cover the expenses for flowers, food, and ritual items. Donations are much appreciated and help us maintain and expand the temple, as well as pay for all the items required for daily and monthly puja. Please give as generously as you can, according to your own means.
6. Offer personal worship according to your custom. There is time reserved at the end of the puja and arati for you to come and offer your personal worship to MAA. You may approach MAA and offer your worship at any time during the puja, however, as long as you are respectful and do not interfere with the puja itself. Read more about why we do this »
7. TOUCH MAA when you are offering your personal worship! Most temples don’t allow touching the murti, but at our temple we encourage you to touch the yoni shilam, in keeping with the tradition at Kamakhya. It makes MAA really happy when you touch her, and that’s a major way in which she transmits HER blessings! She is typically covered by a sari in the main shrine, so just offer flowers and your other items for worship, and touch the top of the sari if you are unsure where to touch.
8. Be aware of others. When you are offering your personal worship, be aware of how many other people are there. If you want to spend more time with MAA there is plenty of time during darshan and distribution of bhog to sit with HER.
9. Bring your children. Children are the heart of any religious tradition, and we enjoy education little ones about respectful, joyful worship. Infants and children are very welcome to all our pujas, but there is no child care. Please be sure to look after little feet and hands! There is not much space in the temple room, so you may need to help little ones exert bursts of energy outside.
10. Remember that the mandir room is a sacred space. We want to maintain a respectful atmosphere in the mandir, so after puja, if you want to converse with other members, go joyfully to the common areas so that people having darshan can meditate in peace. In this way you can support your fellow devotees!
11. Offer to help clean up. We need volunteers to help us clean up after worship is over – our pujarini is often left doing this task alone. This means helping to clear away and clean or polish items from puja, thoroughly washing and putting away dishes after the meal, and most importantly, cleaning up after yourself. Offering seva (selfless service) without expectation of anything in return is an important part of our tradition, as it cultivates compassion and humility, and brings one closer to God.