FT NEWS

The pooja room, the most sacred space in your home, can be as simple or as intricate as you want it to be. The common thread, however, would be that no matter what its size or layout, it should radiate positive spiritual energy. While the pooja room layout and vastu shastra play an important role in this, here we discuss how appropriate furnishings and decorations can also help create an inviting and serene apace.

1. Paint the walls
Pooja room colours should enhance the sense of serenity yet make a subtle statement. The home temple, often, is a small space – painting it in light shades of yellow or orange will help keep the space open and peaceful while adding a dash of sunny colour.

2. Choose a distinctive pooja door design
The entrance of the pooja ghar must be distinguishable from the other doors in the house. Wooden doors with carvings, bells or filigreed work are traditional options which will never go out of style.

Transparent glass doors with motifs are the modern alternatives – they are decorative and welcoming at the same time, allowing one to view the deities from outside.

3. Use effective lighting
Pooja room lights play an important role in creating an appropriate serious yet positive setting. Decorate the altar with pretty ‘firefly’ string lights or small battery-operated tea lights. Or, as in this image, use a strip of LED lights to highlight the entrance.

A chandelier for overall ambient lighting is a beautiful way to light up the entire space, too. The pattern that it reflects on a polished floor when lit is an embellishment in itself.

4. Decorate the floor
It is common practice to decorate the floor before the altar with freshly made rangolis; a more permanent solution would be to simply paint the rangoli design on the floor in a contrasting colour.

A small rug, a decorative cushion (which can double as a seat) or an urli filled with flowers are some other ways to adorn the floor.

5. Create a beautiful backdrop
No matter how simple the altar, a stunning backdrop is all that’s required to accentuate it. In this monochrome prayer space, a minimalistic mandap is highlighted against a white plaque with a gold leaf pattern

A wall embossed with the Om symbol serves as a stunning background to white statuettes of deities. A touch of colour is introduced via brass lamps and the bell.

6. Play with soft furnishings
Fabrics, with their various sheens and textures, are a great way to liven up a space. Since the mandir is all about low seating, employ floor cushions upholstered in silk or brocade – functional yet a stand-out element. Complement it with a rug and matching curtains.

7. Accessorise
Decorate the doorway with torans or garlands of marigolds strung across the entrance. Loose flowers or petals strewn across the mandap, traditional brass lamps, diyas and bells, antique-looking framed pictures of gods – all or some of these elements can be used to beautify the pooja room.a