Throughout the world people having faith in their deities, perform puja. Religious places like temples, mosques, Gurudwaras, churches and mutts etc are constructed for puja. Grand temples have been constructed in India for the same purpose since old times. Common people have immense faith till date in some of these ages old temples. The fame of these temples is increasing with the time. Some of them are- Maa Veshno Devi Temple of Jammu, Kali Temple of Kolkata, Kashi Vishwanath Temple and Tirupati Balaji Temple etc.

With the development of the cities temples are constructed till now. Devotees also do renovation and beautification of old temples, from time to time. If this renovation and beautification is done as per Vaastu then devotees have attraction towards the temple and they visit regularly in thousands to offer Puja.

They take vows of offering and make their religious offerings in plenty. But if the renovation and bcautification of the temple is against Vaastu then fewer devotees come in the temple and scanty religious offerings are received. Devotees have no special faith for such temple.

There are some interesting examples of temples constructed against Vaastu in my home town Ujjain. Many people used to perform Puja and reverence looking of God in a west-facing temple of new Ujjain. Some rooms were constructed in north-east zone of the temple a few years back for priest and others to stay. This change made the portion of south, west and south-west zone more open than portion of north, east and north-east zone. A bore well was made in the south direction of the temple premise for water. Fewer devotees visit the temple and health of the priest is also not well since then.

One more such temple is in Ujjain, which attracted many devotees for puja and lot of offerings were received. Many big religious functions used to be organised there. More construction was done to increase the space of the temple by purchasing the adjacent plot in north-east zone. This construction depressed the east direction of the temple. Then to solve the water problem a well was dug in the centre of the premise, a two-storied school building was constructed in the premise in north-west zone in “L” shape. Toilets and bathrooms were constructed after lifting the north-east zone by two feet. People lose their interest to visit that religious place within a few months of all these Vaastu against changes made. There were disputes between the directors of the temple and school and the same are still pending in the court. Today that place is almost ruined “Vishwakarma Prakash” and “Samrangan Sutradhar” are old and main books of Vaastushaastra. The principles of Vaastushaastra are found in our many old books like Ramayana, Mahabharata and Matsyapurana etc. This confirms the use of this science for the benefit of people.

Some important Vaastu principles have been told by Lord Rama in Valmiki Ramayana. After killing Bali, when Shri Rama along with Lakshman, was looking for a proper place to live on Prasawan hill, he said to Lakshman for a place that the place was good to make a thatched hut because it had ■ lower north-east zone and higher west direction. All the old books praise a place that has higher south-west zone and lower north-east zone.

For example, when Bharat returned to Ayodhya, he came to know that people of the kingdom thought that he was a part of the conspiracy for dwelling Lord Rama. He then said,;i I am not a fool who excretes facing sun or west direction.” It is a known principle of Vaastu that one should never excrete facing east or west direction.

The cause for the war of Mahabbarat was a well creating illusion in the centre of Indraprastha. That’s why the principles of Vaastu should be followed at the time of construction of even religious places like temple, mosque, gurudwara or mutt etc.

The temple should be constructed on land, which has pond, river or water fall in north-east zone and higher mountains and hillocks in south and west directions. A temple on such a place becomes grand and famous.

The land on which the temple is to be constructed should be square or rectangular. It should never be of irregular shape. All the directions of the land should be in a straight line to the pole star i.e. parallel and not in the corner.

It is inauspicious if the land is cut, depressed or round in north, east or north-east zone. This condition creates many problems. On the contrary if these directions are increased then it is better. One should avoid the bad effects of this defect by correcting the same. The south-west zone of the land should be of 90°.

It is auspicious to have road around the temple. A slope in north, east and north-east zone of the temple is termed auspicious.

A water pond should be created in the north or east direction of the temple premise. Well or bore-well should be in north-east zone. It is inauspicious if they are in any other directions.

A compound wall should always be constructed around the temple. The entrance of the temple in east or northeast zone is the best, better in north or north of the northeast zone. If it is not possible to keep the entrance in these two directions then alternatively it can be in south of the south-east zone or west of the north-west zone. It is auspicious to have entrances in all the four directions of the temple. The main entrance of the temple should be higher, bigger and beautiful. There should not be any penetration such as pole, tree etc, in front of any door.

The compound wall of the temple should be higher in south-west zone and lower in north-east zone. Room for religious congregations. Dharamshaala and place for marriages in the temple should be in north-west zone or in north or west direction.

The top of the temple should have a hollow dome shape. This produces a special energy, which gives mental peace to the visitors.

Marble floor is the best for temple. Granite should never be used for the same.

Basements in the temples have been an ideal place for the saints to gain spiritual power. The basement should be constructed in east, north or north-east zone of the premise. It is inauspicious to lit incense stick or Guggul etc in the basement because the smoke emitted by them does not have any escape from the basement and this gathers negative energy, which is harmful. That’s why it is prohibited to lit incense slicks in several temples.

It is auspicious to paint the walls with violet or pink colour, which creates good atmosphere for meditation and increases concentration.

The Garbh-Grih to place the idol of the God should be in the west or south direction. The idols should be east facing in west or north facing in the south direction. If the Garbh-Grih is to be constructed in east or north direction then it should be constructed after digging a deep pit like temple of Kamakhya Devi of Guwahati and Kali Mata Temple of Kolkata.

Height of the assembly pavilion, constructed in north and east direction should be lower than the platform of the Garbh-Grih constructed in the south or west direction and vice versa.

No cooler or fan should be placed in the Garbh-Grih of the temple. This corrupts the magnetic atmosphere of the same. That’s why the Garbh-Grihs of old temples are devoid of even a window and have only one door for visit.

There should not be any bell or loudspeaker inside the temple. The bell can be kept near the steps of assembly pavilion and the loudspeaker on the roof of the same. It is auspicious to have a ventilator in the east direction of the temple through which the morning sun rays go to the idol without any obstruction.

There should not be any room behind the Garbh-Grih, Ample space should be left for circumambulation. The roof height of all the structures should be lower if the Garbh-Grih is in the south or west directions. Earthen-lamp column, sacred fire place and place for yagyct should be in south-east zone of the temple. The coconut should never be broken in the Garbh-Grih of the temple. A stone to break the same should be kept in north-west zone. The ditribution of the prasad should be done in northeast zone.

The donation box of the temple should be in the north direction in such a way that it opens in the north direction. Musical instruments such as drums, small drums and harmonium used in the temple should be kept in a room in north-west zone. Arrangement for washing and drinking water for the devotees should be made in north or east direction in the temple premises. The benches for the sitting of the devotees should be placed in the south direction.

The shoe stand should be made in the north direction of the temple premises. The rooms for the priests and storeroom can be constructed in the southwest zone of the temple premises. Toilet in the temple premises can be constructed in west or north-west zone. The toilets should never be constructed in the north-east zone. Arrangements for the electricity meter, transformer, generator or any other electrical appliance should be made in south-east zone.

Parking for the vehicles of the visitors can be made in north or east direction outside the temple premises. Small garden, plants oftulsi and other small plants should be in the north, east or north-east zone of the temple. Big trees like pipal, banyan tree and banana etc should be in the south, west or south-west zone.

There are different views about the directions, which the idols in a temple should face. For example, the idols of Shri Hanuman, Ganesh, Maa Durga should face south direction and Shri Rama and Shri Krishna should face north or east direction. But in my city, Ujjain, there is a temple of Shri Hanuman, where the idol faces north and Chintaman Ganesh temple, where the idol faces the east directions. The idols of Durga face west direction in Garhkalika Temple and east direction in Harsiddhi Temple. All these are old and famous temples of Ujjain, where the devotees stand in long queue for their turns.