The pooja room is an epicentre of positive energy, and so, vastu for pooja rooms comes highly recommended.

It is often ignored or sidelined due to lack of space or other constraints, but having a pooja room or a mandir at home is a sure-shot way of keeping negative vibrations at bay.

1. The best location for the mandir in the house is the north-east.If that doesn’t work for you, the north and the east corners will do too. West is permissible too, if nothing else works. However, avoid locating the pooja room in the south.
2. Try to ensure that you face the north or the east while offering prayers.
3. Don’t position the pooja room under a staircase or against the wall of a bathroom— it is considered inauspicious.
4. Vastu principles don’t prescribe keeping big idolsin a pooja room. Instead, they recommend keeping photos. But if you must, as is common practice, place your idols and photographs on the east or west side of the room. Place them a few inches away from the wall so that air, water and incense fragrance spreads all around. Idols shouldn’t be placed facing each other.
5. Align the pooja room along the north-east, east or northif you live in a north or east facing flat.
6. Idols in the pooja room must not face each other or the door, and they must be located in the north-east ideally, not too close to the wall.
7. Don’t use the pooja space for any other purpose,and avoid too much storage here. If you must have storage options, then place cupboards to the west or the south.
8. Ensure that the pooja room doors and windows open out to the north or the east.
9. Place lamps and agnikund in the south-east directionand ensure that the idols in the pooja room are not chipped or broken.
10. Use copper vesselsin the pooja room — it is considered auspicious.
11. Build a pyramid shaped tower for the pooja spaceif you can, as it maximises positive vibrations. A threshold to the pooja room also helps greatly, as per Vastu.
12. The pooja room door should have two shuttersideally, and preferably made of wood.
13. Avoid pictures of the deceasedor paintings depicting violence in the pooja room.
14. White, light blue, yellow or other subtle soothing shadesare good vastu colors for Pooja.
15. Keep your pooja accessories like lamps, oils, books, etc. on shelves on the south or west walls. Do not place anything above the idols.
16. Remember to keep your pooja space dust- and dirt-free, remove any broken idols or torn photographs from the space. If you offer food during prayers and bhajans, remember to remove them after some time, and clean the area with a wet cloth.
17. The smell and aroma of the Pooja or Meditation room should be good and refreshing enough to make you calm and relaxed as you enter its vibration area. You can use Loban or Sambhrani stick of any fragrance as per your choice.

Do not use the pooja space for any other purpose or to store any additional home items. Keep it clear and clutter-free at all times.