Getting started with temples?

You will want to look and feel your best when you go to visit the temple, God’s home. Prepare yourself by bathing and putting on clean clothing. Traditional dress is best – saris or long dresses for ladies; long dresses for girls, vethis (dhotis) for men and boys. But any nice, modest clothing suitable for sitting on the floor is OK. Prepare your mind, too, by thinking about God in anticipation of your visit. Bring a gift for the temple, such as fruits and flowers. Remove your shoes before entering the temple. Greet the deities one after the other at their shrines, starting with Ganesha, by pressing your hands together in namaskara and offering each a flower or fruit. Feel the sannidhya – the overwhelming divine presence of God in the temple.