A quick guide to visit and worship in Temple

 

1. Going through the history of that temple, which are the devotees visited them (shaivite or vaishnavite devotees of ancient times), importance, name of the god & goddess, the architectural work related etc and connect those info while you take darshan and admire the sculptural work. Take time and visit them so that you get the complete benefit of visiting a temple. History is carved beautifully in many temples. Tgis will also save you from ignorant and fradulent guides.
2. Buy what you can offer to the deity as one shouldn't go empty handed when go to see God, Elders, Newborn, Sick people and Guru.
3. Seeing the Gopura with folded hands before entering the temple, taking the name of that god is how one should enter temple.
4. Never step on the small single step like stone or wooden at the entrance at temple and at home. (Devatas live there and in case of home, pitrus live there along with devatas to protect the family residing in that home. That's why pooja is done to the entrance fixture before any work. Many of us forgot to continue that worship on daily basis.)
5. Do namaskaram only near the flagpost (kodimaram) and not near the garbha gruha, if you happen to see some ignorant people doing it). This is because in ancient South Indian temples, poojas conducted as per the agama shastras. To get the complete benefit, it is good to follow what our ancestors had advised as they knew it better than us.
6. Visiting Shiva temple - first take darshan of Ganapati, take permission from Nandi for entering the main shrine and to take darshan. Of devi and then shiva. While returning, should thank him for the good darshan we haf. Vishnu temple - take permission from dwara palakas. Take darshan of devathas in prakara, then devi and then vishnu. (first visit the goddess sannidhi and then go for taking darshan of god (like reaching mother, winning her love & kindness to get attention of father).
7. Never stand or cross by coming in between shivaling or amba and nandeeshwar in any temple whether ancient of new one. Priests may be doing it while performing their duties but they know the prayer & rituals to ask for pardon to rectify that ill effect as they have to do so as part of their duty. It is believed that nandi blows air through his breath to swing them gently.
8. Never whisper anything on Nandi’s ears as it is an ignorant practise. What we pray through our mind will reach god through him.
9. Never clap hands etc to any bhagawan (some do for shivling and chandikeshwar) which is wrong as both of them sit in meditation and whatever noise we make only will disturb them. We should understand these basic things while we visit any temple. (Ignorantly some people clap hands or making sound using their thumb and middle finger at some deities which is wrong).
10. If you visit any navagraha temple, the main god (shiva) of that temple is the one to whom one should pray because all tgose navagrahas prayed and performed pooja to shiva to get rid of their problem. So we should pray to the main deity shiva for getting actual benefit and should never go to the navagraha sannadhi directly (e.g. many go directly to shanaishwar’s sannidhi in Thirunallaru temple instead of first visiting the goddess and god shiva which is wrong as Shanaishwar prayed to god shiva in that place and got rid of his problems. It is like giving our address and inviting him like ‘aa bail muje maar 😄). Approaching the right way should be the practice of wise people.
11. Don't encourage vendors by buying butter to throw at ancient carvings in ancient temples.
12. Never waste the bhasma or kumkum given as prashad in temples by priests. Never put them on idols around that temple even when you see a ignorant localite doing it. If you go as family, let one person take it and distribute among others or collect and save in containers or paper packets and take home the prashad.
13. Don't put any money in hundi. There are different sannadhis (sanctum sanctorum) in an ancient temple. The deity for whom there is less devotees (not crowded at all), offer dakshina on the plate to those priests.
14. Don't buy anything sold in the name of Prashad in any temples. A prashad should be offered to the main deity as Neivedhya which later on takes form of a prashad. A prashad can never be sold but freely distributed.
15. Try going to less famous ancient temples or interior village temples where you can have an one to one exclusive darshan of the main deity (god resides there where you see & feel him / her ). [Some may argue then why visit temple then, why not worship at home. But the importance of visiting temple is it is constructed in a particular measurement, balancing the positive waves and the deity in the sanctum sanctorum is invoked through Mantras using vedic chants. In a scultor’s workshop many stone carved deities may stand there. They are not worshipped. But the same idol after doing pooja, invoking the deity’s power in that stone Murti through vedic rituals, people worship it with folded hands. That peace and bliss we get after visiting a temple is because of this. Hence the entrance to sanctum sanctorum is kept less wide to regulate and channel it to devotees positioned in both sides. The power of the waves are strong hence devotees were made to stand on the sides. So we shouldn't never atand in front of the deity in any temple where we will also be obstructing the view for another devotee) Every good practise, only if observe carefully we will understand the logic behind it.]
16. Don't encourage special darshan queue money collection. (The HR&CE of temples in Southindia is trying to commercialise).
17. The local economy should be supported wisely.
18. other than this, whatever general practises that one follow for temple visits should be followed.

I have tried to remember and shared what I have learnt from elders. Hope it helps in future temple visits.

Have a blissful & fruitful darshan.