Why do we do pradakshina (circumambulate)? We cannot draw a circle without a center point. The Lord is the center, source and essence of our lives. Recognizing Him as the focal point in our lives, we go about doing our daily chores. This is the significance of pradakshina.

Also every point on the circumference of a circle is equidistant from the center. This means that wherever or whoever we may be, we are equally close to the Lord. His grace flows towards us without partiality.

Throughout history Tibet and India have shared ancient knowledge, and it is possible - but unproven - that the first Rite could also have been influenced by the practice of Pradakshina. 

In Hinduism, Pradakshina means the act of worshipful circumambulation (walking clockwise around a holy temple, shrine, or place). Dakshina means right, so you walk to the left keeping the spiritual object on your right.

To perform Pradakshina you walk clockwise around a temple, sacred object, person, mountain, place or even oneself. Hindu temples are designed with special passages, so that people can perform these clockwise movements around them. The purpose of this clockwise circling is to center or purify oneself, or to honor or bond with the object of devotion. 

Circumambulation is so common in fact that it can be found in the Greek, Roman, Druid and Hindu cultures. Usually it had to do with sacrifice or purification processes. Interestingly, in all these cultures the direction was always the same - clockwise!

The reason is not, as a person said, to avoid a traffic jam! As we do pradakshina, the Lord is always on our right. In India the right side symbolizes auspiciousness. So as we circumambulate the sanctum sanctorum we remind ourselves to lead an auspicious life of righteousness, with the Lord who is the indispensable source of help and strength, as our guide – the “right hand”.

Indian scriptures enjoin – matrudevo bhava, pitrudevo bhava, acharyadevo bhava. May you consider your parents and teachers as you would the Lord. With this in mind we also do pradakshina around our parents and divine personages.

After the completion of traditional worship (pooja), we customarily do pradakshina around ourselves. In this way we recognize and remember the supreme divinity within us, which alone is idolized in the form of the Lord that we worship outside.