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About this tool
Footwear, dress, photography and offering etiquette for Buddhist, Hindu, Sikh, Jain and Shinto sites, scored by consequence.
This checklist scores how ready you are for a temple visit by weighting each rule against what happens if you break it. Rules that get you refused at the door — covered shoulders and knees, shoes off, no leather in a Jain derasar, head covered in a gurdwara — carry five times the weight of a small courtesy, and any one of them left unmet holds the verdict at 'not ready' regardless of the percentage. Separate lists cover Theravada and East Asian Buddhist temples, Hindu temples, Sikh gurdwaras, Jain derasars and Shinto shrines.
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Separates the rules that stop you at the door from the ones that merely mark you as a tourist.
Jain leather rules, Sikh intoxicant rules and Shinto purification are genuinely different requirements.
Every item says why the rule exists, which makes it far easier to remember on the day.
Shoulders and knees covered is the near-universal minimum across Buddhist, Hindu and Jain sites, with shoes removed before the inner hall — and outside the whole compound at Hindu and Jain temples. Sikh gurdwaras additionally require everyone to cover their head, and scarves are provided at the entrance. Many South Indian temples go further and ask men to wear a dhoti rather than trousers.
Because leather comes from a killed animal, which conflicts directly with ahimsa, the Jain principle of non-violence. The prohibition is broader than most visitors expect: belts, wallets, watch straps, camera cases and handbags all count, and it is actively enforced at the door. Leaving leather items in the car or with the shoe attendant is the practical answer.
Purify at the temizuya first, then use the two-bows, two-claps, one-bow sequence at the main hall — nirei nihakushu ichirei. Offer a coin into the saisen box before praying, bow at the torii as you enter and leave, and walk to the side of the approach path rather than down its centre, which is reserved for the kami. Japanese Buddhist temples use the same bow but no claps.
Almost always, and Sikh gurdwaras actively welcome visitors of any faith to the prayer hall and the free langar meal. The exceptions are specific rather than general: some Hindu temples, including Jagannath in Puri and Guruvayur in Kerala, admit Hindus only, and inner sanctums are commonly restricted to priests. Check the individual site before travelling to it.