--- title: "How to Worship the Navagrahas at a Temple" description: "Navagraha puja benefits start with doing it right: how to walk around the nine planets at a temple, which direction, what to offer, and what to hold in mind." author: "Archana" published: 2026-11-08 updated: 2026-11-08 canonical: https://www.pariharaonline.com/blog/navagraha-temple-worship-guide tags: ["Navagraha", "Temple Worship", "Practice"] --- # How to Worship the Navagrahas at a Temple ## In short - At a temple, Navagrahas are usually worshipped after the main deity by walking clockwise around the nine planets, commonly nine rounds, without touching the idols. - Tradition sees Navagraha worship as seeking balance among the nine influences of time rather than appeasing a single planet. - Slow, attentive rounds turn a routine temple habit into a moving meditation. Most South Indian temples keep the nine planets on a small raised platform, each figure facing a different direction, and most visitors walk around them in a hurry on the way out. If you want to know how to worship Navagrahas, the answer is simple: after you have prayed to the main deity, walk clockwise around the platform, usually nine times, without touching the figures, pausing briefly as you pass each graha. Then slow down. Done slowly, the walk stops being a formality and becomes a practice for attention. ## How to worship Navagrahas at a temple? Here is the usual sequence. Customs vary a little by region and temple, so follow what the priest or the notice board says where you are. - **Main deity first.** In most temples, you pray at the central shrine first, then visit the Navagraha platform. The grahas are seen as working under the deity, not in place of it. The same principle explains [why Ganesha comes first](https://www.pariharaonline.com/blog/why-ganesha-comes-first) before any undertaking. - **Walk clockwise.** Keep the platform on your right, the way you walk around any shrine. - **Nine rounds is common.** People often ask how many rounds around the Navagraha are right. Nine, one for each graha, is the most widely followed. Some do three, some do seven. Pick one number and keep it. - **Do not touch the figures.** Unlike some shrines where you may touch the feet of the deity, Navagraha figures are generally not touched. - **Face each graha briefly.** As you pass each one, slow down, bring your palms together, and look for a moment. You do not need to know all nine names at first. Those are the Navagraha pradakshina rules most temples keep: pradakshina simply means walking around a sacred centre with it on your right. ## Navagraha puja benefits, as tradition describes them In Jyotish, Vedic astrology, the nine grahas are the Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, and the two shadow points Rahu and Ketu. They are seen as nine influences of time, each colouring a different part of life. Tradition describes Navagraha worship as seeking balance across all nine rather than trying to appease a single troublesome planet. Each graha has traditional offerings, and at larger temples you will see people bringing small bundles: - Sun: wheat and red cloth. - Moon: rice and white cloth. - Mars: red lentils. - Mercury: green gram. - Jupiter: Bengal gram and yellow cloth. - Venus: white beans. - Saturn: sesame seeds and black cloth, with a sesame-oil lamp. - Rahu: black gram. - Ketu: horse gram. You do not need to bring any of it. The walk itself is the offering. But if you feel pulled toward one graha, perhaps because you are in a Saturn season, described in Shani sade sati explained, or thinking about the shadow planets after reading Rahu Ketu dosha explained, a small handful of its grain is a way of paying attention to that part of your life. ## Bringing the practice home Can you do Navagraha puja at home? Yes, simply. You do not need nine figures. Light one lamp, sit facing east, and say the short Navagraha prayer that many families know: "Adityaya Somaya Mangalaya Budhaya cha, Guru Shukra Shanibhyashcha Rahave Ketave namah." Salutations to the Sun, the Moon, Mars and Mercury, to Jupiter, Venus and Saturn, to Rahu and to Ketu. Say it nine times, slowly, one line per breath. If you feel drawn toward a particular graha, light a lamp on its day: Sunday for the Sun, Monday for the Moon, Tuesday for Mars, Wednesday for Mercury, Thursday for Jupiter, Friday for Venus, Saturday for Saturn. This fits easily inside a five-minute daily puja. When Jupiter changes sign, many families mark it with Thursday prayers, as [Guru peyarchi](https://www.pariharaonline.com/blog/guru-peyarchi-jupiter-transit) describes. And when you are back at the temple, notice the body while you walk. Feet on warm stone. The weight shifting from heel to toe. The small crowd moving at different speeds. Many people find that this is where the practice actually happens, not in the words. ## Nine slow rounds Try this on your next temple visit. After the main shrine, go to the Navagraha platform and do nine rounds, as slowly as the crowd allows. One breath per step. Pause for a moment at each graha. Do not count prayers or wishes; just count rounds. When you finish, stand still for a few breaths before you walk away. Notice how differently you leave. Most people arrive at the Navagrahas carrying a worry about one planet. Many leave having simply walked, with attention, around all nine. ## Questions people ask ### How many rounds should I do around the Navagraha? Nine rounds, one for each graha, is the most common practice in South Indian temples, though some traditions do three, seven or eleven. Walk clockwise, keeping the planets on your right, at an unhurried pace. Many families end by saying the Navagraha stotram or simply naming each planet with a bow. ### Should I visit the Navagraha shrine before or after the main deity? Most temple customs ask you to worship the presiding deity first, such as Shiva, Vishnu or the Goddess, and visit the Navagrahas afterwards. The idea is that the grahas act under the main deity, so you begin with the source. Local practice can vary, so follow the temple's custom when it is posted. ### Can I do Navagraha puja at home? Yes, in a simple form. Light a lamp, chant the Navagraha mantra or the nine planet names, and offer a flower or grain for each. Some people light a lamp on the weekday linked with a particular planet, such as Saturday for Shani. A full Navagraha homam is usually performed by trained priests. ## Related reading - [Guru Peyarchi: What Jupiter's Transit Asks of You](https://www.pariharaonline.com/blog/guru-peyarchi-jupiter-transit) - [Dhanishta Nakshatra (Avittam): Rhythm and Wealth](https://www.pariharaonline.com/blog/dhanishta-nakshatra) - [Prayer for Marriage While You Wait for the Right Match](https://www.pariharaonline.com/blog/waiting-for-the-right-match) Source: https://www.pariharaonline.com/blog/navagraha-temple-worship-guide