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The Pradakshina is the circumambulation of the deity’s Sanctum Sanctorium. There is a procedure that needs to be followed when doing Pradakshina in the Shiva Temple compared to the Temples of the other deities like lord Vishnu or Ganesha.
Pradakshina in the Shiva Temples should be performed in clockwise and anti-clockwise directions rather than fully clockwise. However, many devotees still perform Pradakshina the wrong way in the Shiva Temples, thus limiting the maximum benefits.
By practicing Pradakshina correctly, devotees can attract wholesome benefits and blessings from the supreme deity, Shiva. This also ensures that our prayers reach the god and our wishes are fulfilled.
Speaking about our main topic, which is the right way to do Pradakshina in the Shiva Temple, the short answer is Ardh Pradakshina. Ardh means ‘half’ and Pradakshina means ‘circumambulation’ thus denoting half circumambulation.
Due to the half circumambulation, the ritual involves a clockwise and anti-clockwise Pradakshina, which is in contrast to the Pradakshina we practice for other deities.
The reason behind Ardh Pradakshina is that Chandikeshwarar, one of the followers and ardent devotees of Shiva who is usually found on the left side of the Garbhagriha (Sanctum Sanctorum) in the Shiva Temples.
He has a dedicated statue on the left side of the Shiva Linga (Garbhagriha) and believed he sees and worships the lord Shiva who present inside the Garbhagriha through a small window of Gomukhi (The exit passage of Archana waters and milk offered to Shiva Linga).
Hence, it’s recommended that devotees should not disturb or distract Chandikeshwarar’s deep prayer towards lord Shiva by not crossing him (his statue).
As said, it results in a half-circumambulation (Ardh Pradakhina) as we’re not crossing the Chandikeshwarar statue.
As we said, Ardh Pradakshina is the right way to perform Pradakshina in the Shiva Temple. Below, we see the right procedure for this.
Step 1: Initiate Pradakshina starting from the Nandi statue (in front of the deity). Ensuring your right hand is towards the deity.
Step 2: Then, Do a half-circle circumambulation around the Garbhagriha (deity) in the clockwise direction.
Step 3: Circumambulate until you reach the Gomukhi or witness the Chandaleswarar statue on the other side of the Garbhagriha. Make sure you don’t cross the Gomukhi or the Chandaleswarar statue. This way, we are not doing full-circle circumambulation.
Step 4: Now do the same half-circle circumambulation in an anti-clockwise direction. Assuming you circumambulate until you reach Gomukhi again, do not cross it. This way, it is considered as one round (Pradakshina) when you complete a half-circle circumambulation in the clockwise and anti-clockwise directions.
You can do as many Ardh Pradakshina as you wish, but it’s suggested that you keep the number of Pradakshina in odd numbers like 1, 3, and 101.
When performing Pradakshina, do it with utmost devotion and respect for Lord Shiva. It is icing on the cake when the Pradakshina is performed chanting the Mahadev Shloka ‘Om Namashivaya’ as it further increases the positive outcomes and invokes the Divine grace of the Lord.
Har Har Mahadev!
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