The Hindus have each day of the week dedicated to a particular God or planet. In modern homes, not everyone has the luxury of having a large pooja room with a separate mandir for seven different deities. However, by using colour and accessories, we can try to incorporate elements that signify the presence of different gods and planets in a subtle manner.
The day is named after the Sun God, Surya or Ravi. It’s rare to find an image of the sun god in a mandir at home, but red represents the warmth of the sun and can be used to bring in the auspicious element into your pooja room. An alternative is to introduce an image of the sun, like this pooja ghar does with a back lit ceiling panel.
The first day of the working week is dedicated to Lord Shiva. Adding a small image or icon of the deity in your pooja area can introduce his presence into your home. Alternatively, a statue of his vehicle – Nandi the bull – can be placed in the area.
This is the day when people fast for the monkey god, Hanuman. In South India, people worship Muruga or Karthikeya (son of Shiva) on Tuesdays. Red is the colour of this day, which is named after the planet Mars or mangal. If you aren’t comfortable with adding the bright colour to the walls in case it overpowers the area, an image with a predominantly red background is an option.
The planet Mercury dominates prayers and poojas on Wednesday. It’s also a day for worshiping Lord Vithal (a reincarnation of Krishna), who is the bearer of good fortune. Green is the colour of the day, so you can add it in the form of accessories or décor in the room. Alternatively, an artistic wall mural of Krishna, like this one, can be used in the Pooja ghar.
A day devoted to the planet Jupiter, Thursdays are also when most people worship Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. Yellow is the colour of the day, and a good way to introduce it subtly is on the walls of the Pooja area, where it adds brightness and beauty. Placing yellow marigold flowers in a brass vessel or on a garland is another option.
This is the day for Venus, and white is the colour of the day, which is easy to include, since many homes have white on the walls. Other ways to add white into the Pooja area is through jasmine garlands or marble statues. Worshiping Venus also increases the bond of love between a husband and wife, so a symbolic representation of love can be brought in through statues of Krishna and Radha, like in this home.
Saturn is the planet worshipped on Saturdays. Devotees wear black on this day. Most people hesitate to add a large amount of black to the pooja area as it makes the room dark. Black granite shelves are a nice alternative. The idols or pooja items can be placed on the shelves.
With careful planning, you can bring almost every auspicious colour into your pooja ghar to make it adapt to each day of the week. For more pooja room designs, visit this ideabook.