About Customs To Keep In Mind, India

With all sects, removing shoes is a must before entering a shrine, though sometimes cloth overshoes are provided for a small charge. Drinking alcoholic beverages on the premises or speaking in a raised voice is not permissible. Some structures are off-limits to visitors who don’t practice the faith. One should not try to force or bribe to enter such places. Women should always be properly dressed and should cover their head before entering a Sikh gurudwara or a mosque. When you enter a mosque, you are supposed to step right foot first into the courtyard. In some Hindu and Jain temples all leather products inside a shrine like shoes, belts, handbags, camera cases etc. are prohibited. Many temples also expect visitors to purify themselves by washing their hands and feet under a tap or tank available there before entering. No visitor in a gurudwara should keep his feet pointing towards the Holy Book or step over any one sitting in prayer or meditation. Usually try sitting on the floor of a Hindu or Sikh temple with cross-legged or with feet tucked beneath is best.

In a Buddhist monastery always remember to follow a clockwise direction while spinning a prayer wheel, going around the interiors and exteriors of the monastery itself, stupa or mani wall. Inside the monastery, cushions and chairs are reserved for lamas (monks). Sit on the steps outside or on the floor. Incase one gets the opportunity to meet a rimpoche (head lama) or a respected monk, it’s polite not to turn one’s back on him while leaving. Also removing the hat and lowering an umbrella within the confines of a monastery is advised. This courtesy is also observed in the presence of a lama.