Hinduism has many rituals that have beautiful meaning behind them. Hindus worship in temples & before entering temples we remove our footwear (पादत्राणयुगम्) & wash hands & feet as Foot-wears (पादत्राणयुगम्) are considered impure according to Hindu culture. Not only in temples people forbid footwear (पादत्राणयुगम्) in their houses also, as we consider it as a mark of respect, honour, cleanliness & purity to the house & we consider the houses as temple too as the house gives us shelter & protection.
Foot-wears (पादत्राणयुगम्) are generally used to protect our toes & soles of our feet from contact with dust, thorns, stones & all sorts of impurities on the roads & it is obvious that foot-wears (पादत्राणयुगम्) are filled with dirt. So, in order to keep a hygienic atmosphere, we keep the foot-wears (पादत्राणयुगम्) out of the religious places & houses. As we do not want the impurities to enter such places.
According to the Scriptures, there are 5 such places where one is prohibited to enter with footwear (पादत्राणयुगम्) on. They are:
1. The room where the Vedic fire has been established. 2. A cow-pen i.e. गौ-शाला or where the cows stay. 3. A place where the idol of the Deity is installed, like a temple or a ritual room & a room for the Brahmin. 4. A place for taking meals. 5. The room where one chants the Mantras.
First & the most common reason for removing the footwear (पादत्राणयुगम्) is that, the soles absorb impurities of the road. So, we can't take those dirty foot-wears (पादत्राणयुगम्) inside that holy place. And, generally foot-wears (पादत्राणयुगम्) are made of leather which is considered impure in Hinduism as it is made up from dead animal's skin.
This is the reason why Hindus not only leave their footwear (पादत्राणयुगम्) but, when they sit for any puja ritual or any religious rituals one also has to remove the leather belts & wallets too if it is made up of leather. Footwear (पादत्राणयुगम्) irrespective of it being made from leather/rubber etc. has to be removed mainly because of dirt that comes along. Temples & other religious places of prayers are considered Sacred, & footwear (पादत्राणयुगम्) being impure, are not allowed to be brought inside. Therefore, even non-leather shoes or slippers are not allowed inside sacred places.
Another reason is, one should leave the luxuries before entering the temple or before worshiping God/Goddesses. So, footwear (पादत्राणयुगम्) is the basic luxury we use & thus we leave it outside as a gesture of respect to the Deities. Usually, Temple authorities display a board which says "Foot-wears are strictly prohibited" as our temples can be visited by people of other religions who may not be aware of such respect shown by Hindus.
Third & the most important Scientific reason is, there are always positive energies & vibration covered inside the temple & the ground of the temple also has such cosmic energies in it. While walking barefoot in the temple these energies enters our body through the foot. In that context, among various parts of the body, the soles of the feet are considered points of significant interchange of energy. This way when one walks in the temple barefoot, the positive energy enters the body through the pious ground of the temple which calms the mind & we feel the bliss inside the temple.
Picture Courtesy- Maharshi Adhyatma Vishwavidyalay.
It is believed that, when that cosmic energy enters the person, it can cause drastic changes physically & spiritually. Just as a building is fitted with a lightning rod, which is connected to the ground to “earth” the electricity flowing out of lightning, the human body needs to earth the cosmic currents, which is why, many suggests walking barefoot on dewed grass or ground early in the morning to “reconnect” with the earth energy. This not only activate the earth cosmic energy in the human body, but also to release the negative energy from our body to the ground.
Thus, this is the main reason why in places of worship, one is required to take off their foot-wears (पादत्राणयुगम्). When the cosmic energy passes through the person, the person is cleansed of any diseased or negative energy by the positive cosmic energy. But the same analogy of positive energy also applies in the case of negative energy. Which is why, one should always wear footwear (पादत्राणयुगम्) in a place of possible negative energy, like graveyard, etc.
ज्येष्ठः कृष्णपक्षे १०, २०७६