Before Navratri begins, people actively clean and decorate their home shrines. It is important that the shrine remains clean and organized throughout the nine days dedicated to worshipping Goddess Durga. For the festival, new items are often added to the shrine, such as installing a kalash on the first day and wrapping a coconut around the maternal chunni on the lotus. Additionally, in most homes, barley seeds are sown in clay pots. This leads to an accumulation of many items in the shrine, such as worship paraphernalia, kalashes, lamps, flowers, and aarti trays, which can make the shrine untidy.
To keep your shrine beautiful and organized despite the large number of items, you can use several simple and smart methods.
The installation of a kalash holds special significance during Navratri. You need to choose a place in the shrine where the kalash will be stable and there will be enough space nearby to conduct rituals. The kalash should always be placed on a flat pedestal or a designated spot, avoiding placement near items that will need to be frequently moved during worship.
In the worship tray, roli, akshat, kumkum, molis, flowers, and other necessary materials are placed. To avoid searching for these items during the ritual, they should be kept in separate small bowls. The tray itself is best placed on a shelf or in a drawer in the shrine, from where it is easy to access.
Instead of keeping lamps, matches, ghee, or oil and incense together, separate places should be allocated for them. The lamp must be placed where there are no fabrics, paper, or decorative items that could ignite.
Marigold flowers, mango leaves, and red or yellow colored fabrics are used to decorate the shrine. A clean cloth is spread on the pedestal. After using the decorative items, they should be put away in one cabinet, as this will facilitate their subsequent retrieval.
Items needed for worship over the nine days should be arranged so they are easy to reach. Separate places should be designated for the chunri, bell, aarti tray, and prayer books. Small baskets or boxes can be used for smaller items. This way, the shrine looks perfectly organized, and the correct placement of everything makes it more aesthetic.
During Navratri, flowers are offered daily and lamps are lit. Therefore, it is necessary to remove old flowers, clear scattered materials after worship, and ensure that water does not accumulate around the shrine. This ensures the cleanliness of the place of worship and helps all items remain in place.
