These are living temples, not museums
In daily use: most temples have priests who rise before dawn, worshippers every morning, and rituals in the same order for centuries.
You are a guest: in someone's house of prayer, often at the very hour that matters most to them.
- Purity
- The temple is kept clean
- Presence
- The deity is honoured
- Prayer
- Others should not be disturbed
- Faiths
- Hindu, Jain, Sufi, Sikh
- Visitors
- Welcome at almost all
- Not tests for visitors: the rules are the ordinary courtesies worshippers follow themselves.
- Once you see the three ideas: most of the customs explain themselves.
- Many faiths in a day: a Hindu temple, a Jain temple, a Sufi dargah and a Sikh gurdwara, each with its own customs.
- Welcome, with rules: visitors of all faiths are welcome at almost all of them, provided they follow the rules.
- The traditions themselves: our page on faith and temples in Rajasthan; this guide is about how to behave when you are there.
What to wear, and what to leave behind
Cover shoulders and knees: long skirts, loose trousers, kurtas and shirts with sleeves are ideal.
Not appropriate: shorts, short skirts, sleeveless tops and tight or see-through clothes.
Carry a large scarf: it covers your head at a dargah or gurdwara, your shoulders if a temple asks, and your face from dust on the road.
- Slip-on shoes: you may remove them several times in one morning.
- Bring socks: marble and stone floors can burn in summer and chill on winter mornings. Some temples allow socks, and Karni Mata at Deshnoke is easier with them.
- Bare feet: other temples, or their inner shrines, ask for them.
- No leather on Jain temple days: belts, wallets, handbags, camera and watch straps and shoes stay in the car; many Hindu temples prefer the same.
- Leave behind: cigarettes, alcohol and food containing meat or eggs.
- Simple jewellery: keep valuables to a minimum, because crowded temples attract pickpockets like any busy place.
- For everyone: modest dress is expected of men and women alike. It isn't about looking smart, but about not drawing attention to the body in a sacred place.
- More ideas: our etiquette and dress guide, what to wear in temples and Rajasthani dress and textiles.
At the door: shoes, water and the bell
Shoes first: they come off before you enter, and often before you climb the steps or step onto a ghat.
Where to leave them: at the shoe stand, where an attendant keeps them for a small tip, or in the car with your chauffeur.
Never: carry shoes inside in a bag, or walk barefoot from the shoe stand into the street and back into the temple.
- Shoes
- Off where everyone else removes them
- Shoe stand
- A small tip on collection
- Hands and feet
- Wash at the tap if you like
- The bell
- Ring once, gently
- Threshold
- Step over, never stand on it
- Phone
- Silent
- Washing: many worshippers wash hands and feet at a tap near the entrance, and you are welcome to do the same.
- The bell: hangs inside the door of most Hindu temples; worshippers ring it to announce themselves to the deity and clear the mind.
- The threshold: many people step over it rather than on it, and some touch it and then their forehead. You need not copy this, but don't stand or sit on it.
- Parikrama: walk around shrines clockwise, keeping the shrine on your right, a form of worship in itself.
- Feet: never point them towards a shrine, a deity or a priest when sitting.
- Hands off: don't touch images of the gods, or the offerings before them, unless a priest invites you to.
Inside: darshan, aarti and prasad
Darshan
The sacred moment: in a Hindu temple, darshan is standing before the image and looking upon it, seeing and being seen by the deity.
- Set times: at Shrinathji in Nathdwara, doors open only at set times for short darshans, and the crowd can press forward hard.
- Where to stand: where your guide suggests, hands to yourself, with worshippers at the front.
- A step back: watching respectfully from there is always welcome.
Aarti
The offering of light: a priest waves a lamp of burning ghee or camphor before the deity while bells ring and worshippers sing.
- When: often at dawn and dusk.
- During it: stand still and quiet until it ends.
- Afterwards: when the priest brings the lamp around, worshippers pass their hands over the flame and touch their eyes and forehead. You may do the same, or simply stand respectfully.
Prasad
A shared blessing: food offered to the deity and then shared, usually a sweet, sugar crystals or fruit.
- How to accept: with your right hand, or both hands cupped, never the left alone.
- Eat a little: it is polite, and you can quietly give the rest to your guide or driver.
- Never: throw it away in front of others or put it on the floor.
Tilak and sacred threads
Tilak: a priest may offer a mark of red or saffron paste on your forehead.
- Mauli: or tie a red and yellow thread around your wrist.
- Your choice: accept or politely decline; if you accept, a small offering in the box or to the priest is usual, and our guide will tell you what is fitting.
The inner sanctum
Garbhagriha: the innermost shrine is often open only to priests.
- Particular customs: at the Brahma Temple in Pushkar, tradition holds that married men do not enter the inner sanctum, and offerings go through the priests from the outer hall.
- Follow the signs: and the guidance of the priests and your guide.
How to behave, in a few lines
Voice and pace: keep your voice low and your movements unhurried.
Don't block worshippers: especially near the sanctum and during aarti.
Couples: avoid holding hands, embracing or kissing inside a temple.
- No eating: or drinking or chewing gum inside, apart from prasad you are given.
- Right hand: to give and receive offerings, money and prasad.
- Leaving the shrine: don't turn your back abruptly; step back a few paces before turning.
- People at prayer: don't touch or step over them.
- Children: keep them close and quiet, and explain beforehand what they will see. See travelling with children.
- When unsure: ask your guide, or simply watch what the worshippers do.
Photography, phones and cameras
Deities: never photograph the image of a deity unless you are clearly told it is allowed.
People: never photograph people at prayer, bathing at a ghat or receiving a blessing without asking first, and accept a refusal gracefully.
- Nathdwara
- No phones or cameras inside
- Dilwara
- No phones or cameras inside
- Ranakpur
- Own rules; no photos of tirthankara images
- Ajmer Sharif
- Not inside the tomb or during prayers
- Everywhere
- No flash, tripods or drones
- Bathers: never photograph women bathing at the ghats of Pushkar or anywhere else.
- Deposit counters: at Nathdwara and Dilwara, leave phones and cameras in the car or at the counter.
- Ranakpur fees: the temple's rules can include a separate ticket for cameras or phones.
- Ajmer Sharif: put your phone away during the qawwali and the evening rituals.
- Rules vary and change: always follow what is posted at the entrance and what priests and staff tell you.
- Typical patterns: some temples forbid phones and cameras entirely, some allow courtyards but not deities, and some charge a separate camera fee. See our photography tips.
Different faiths, different customs
- Hindu temples
- Shoes off, covered, clockwise
- Jain temples
- No leather, very modest, no food
- Dargahs
- Head covered, men and women
- Mosques
- Avoid prayer times, Friday midday
- Gurdwaras
- Head covered, langar open to all
Hindu temples
The basics: shoes off, shoulders and knees covered, leather best left outside, a quiet voice and a clockwise walk around the shrine.
- Who may enter: visitors of other faiths are generally welcome, though a few temples or inner shrines may restrict entry, and the priests' word is final.
- Bring: small notes for the donation box.
Jain temples
The strictest rules: because Jainism holds that no living being should be harmed.
- What to do: leave all leather outside, dress very modestly, and bring no food or drink inside.
- Visiting hours: many keep the early part of the day for worship and admit non-Jain visitors later, so we plan Ranakpur and the Dilwara temples around them.
- Mouth cloths: some worshippers wear a cloth over their mouths to avoid harming tiny living beings. Please don't photograph them without asking.
Dargahs and mosques
At a dargah: the shrine of a Sufi saint, cover your head, men and women alike, remove your shoes, and keep arms and legs covered.
- At Ajmer Sharif: at the Ajmer Sharif Dargah, a basket of roses and, if you wish, a chadar, an embroidered cloth for the tomb, make a proper offering.
- At mosques: avoid prayer times, especially Friday midday prayers; women may be asked to visit only certain areas.
Gurdwaras
Everyone welcome: cover your head with a scarf or the cloth provided, remove your shoes and wash your hands and feet.
- Never: bring tobacco or alcohol anywhere near.
- Langar: a free communal meal eaten sitting on the floor, open to all; accepting it is an honour, and helping wash up is a kind gesture.
Shrines of folk deities
Hero-gods: Ramdevji, Pabuji, Gogaji and others, in shrines often small, painted and alive with devotion.
- Same courtesies: shoes off, modest dress, quiet voices.
- Ask first: some are cared for by a single family and have their own customs.
Rajasthan's great temples, and what each asks of you
- Ranakpur
- Non-Jains later in the day
- Dilwara
- Limited hours, no photos
- Nathdwara
- Eight jhankis; no phones or bags
- Karni Mata
- Socks, slow steps
- Galtaji
- No food on show for the monkeys
- Ajmer Sharif
- Head covered, bags searched
Ranakpur
Morning for worship: the great marble Jain temple in the Aravalli valley opens to non-Jain visitors later.
- What to do: leave all leather in the car, cover shoulders and knees, and follow the temple's photography rules.
- Posted rules: the temple also posts rules about entry for women during menstruation.
Dilwara, Mount Abu
Five Jain temples: of astonishing marble carving.
- Limited hours: for non-Jain visitors, occasionally changed, so we confirm them for the week you travel.
- The rules: no photography, no leather, modest dress and bare feet.
Shrinathji, Nathdwara
Eight jhankis: Shrinathji gives eight short darshans a day, following the routine of a child.
- Not allowed inside: phones, cameras and bags.
- The crowd: joyful but presses hard, so stand with your guide and let the devotees reach the front.
Brahma Temple and the ghats, Pushkar
Shoes: off before stepping onto any ghat.
- Bathers: never photograph them.
- The flower trick: politely decline anyone who presses a flower into your hand, leads you to a ghat for a blessing and then asks for a large donation.
- A genuine ritual: your own guide can arrange one with a trusted priest.
Karni Mata, Deshnoke
The goddess's family: the temple near Bikaner is home to thousands of rats, called kabas, protected as her kin.
- How to walk: barefoot with socks, slowly, so you never step on one.
- A living shrine: treat it as one. It is considered lucky if a kaba runs over your foot.
Ajmer Sharif Dargah
Before the gate: cover your head, remove your shoes at a stall outside, and dress modestly.
- Security: bags are searched at the entrance.
- Khadims: the hereditary custodians guide pilgrims and may ask for a donation; a modest offering is entirely enough.
Galtaji, Jaipur
Monkeys: the temples and sacred tanks in a gorge east of Jaipur are home to troops of rhesus macaques.
- What to do: don't carry food openly, don't feed them, and keep bags closed.
- Dress and water: dress for the temples, and remember the tanks are used for ritual bathing.
Jagdish Temple and Eklingji, Udaipur
Jagdish Temple: in the heart of the old city, busy with worshippers from dawn.
- Eklingji: about 22 kilometres north, the form of Shiva whom the Maharanas of Mewar served as regents.
- At both: cover shoulders and knees, leave shoes and leather outside, and follow the posted photography rules.
Offerings, donations and priests
Natural part of a visit: worshippers bring flowers, coconuts, sweets, incense or a little money, and you are welcome to do the same.
The donation box: a few small notes are always appropriate, and the amount is entirely up to you.
Stalls: many temples sell flowers and sweets for offering near the entrance.
- Carry small notes: for donation boxes, shoe stands and offerings, and give and receive with your right hand.
- Don't haggle: over a sacred offering; if a price seems wrong, ask your guide to buy for you.
- Devoted priests: most serve their temple, many from families that have served the same shrine for generations.
- Pandas of Pushkar: priestly families who keep records of the pilgrim families they have served for centuries.
- Pressure tactics: in the busiest towns some people offer flowers or blessings and then ask for a large sum. Give it back with a smile and walk on.
- Uninvited guides: politely decline anyone who leads you to a shrine and then asks for money.
- With us: our guide arranges any ritual with a priest the family knows, explains it, and suggests a fitting offering.
- No commission: we never take any on offerings or temple visits, and never let anyone make you feel obliged to pay more.
Customs that may surprise you
Menstruation notices: many traditional Hindu and Jain temples, including Ranakpur and Dilwara, ask women not to enter during menstruation.
Where it comes from: long-held ideas about ritual purity, observed by many worshippers themselves.
Left to conscience: visitors are not asked to declare anything.
- If it concerns you: visit the courtyard or skip that temple on the day, and your guide will understand without any explanation.
- Restricted areas: some temples limit entry to parts of the shrine by faith, gender or marital status, as at Pushkar's Brahma Temple.
- Hindus only: a few temples in India admit only Hindus, though this is rare in Rajasthan.
- Bereavement: in many traditional families, people do not visit temples for a period after a close death.
- Respect without agreement: you need not agree with every custom to respect it while you are a guest.
- Our guides: always explain the reasons calmly, answer honestly and never put you in an uncomfortable position.
Temples on festival days
Beautiful and crowded: Janmashtami in Nathdwara, Navratri, the Pushkar fair and the Urs at Ajmer Sharif draw enormous numbers of pilgrims.
Same etiquette: with more patience.
- Nathdwara
- Janmashtami
- Goddess temples
- Navratri
- Pushkar ghats
- The Pushkar fair
- Ajmer Sharif
- The Urs
- Expect
- Queues, crowds, security checks
- How we plan: the right hour, the right gate, a guide who knows the temple and a chauffeur waiting close by.
- If crowds trouble you: we choose a quieter time or a viewing place a little apart.
- Honest advice: we tell you when a festival day is better watched from a rooftop than from inside the temple.
A temple-day checklist
Clothes: loose, covering shoulders and knees.
A large scarf or stole: for your head and shoulders.
- Socks: for hot or cold marble floors, where they are allowed.
- Shoes: ones you can slip off easily, and no leather if you are visiting Jain temples.
- Small notes: for donation boxes, shoe stands and offerings.
- Your phone: on silent, or left in the car where cameras are not allowed.
- Water and a snack: for afterwards, left in the car rather than carried inside.
- An open mind: and a guide who can explain what you are seeing.