How many parikrama you do depends on the deity. Lord Shiva gets half a parikrama, Maa Durga one, Ganesh ji three, Vishnu, Krishna and Ram four, and Surya Dev seven. Hanuman ji and Bhairav ji are circled three times, and Shani Dev and the peepal tree seven, by long-standing temple custom.
Those numbers travel around WhatsApp groups every week as colourful charts. This guide explains where each one actually comes from, why Shiva is the only deity you never circle fully, and how to keep the practice going when your mandir is a shelf in a Dubai apartment.
Parikrama Count for Each Deity at a Glance
| Deity | Parikrama | Basis | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lord Shiva (Shivling) | Half | Karmalochana verse | Walk to the water outlet, then turn back |
| Maa Durga and all Devi forms | 1 | Karmalochana verse | One unhurried round |
| Lord Ganesha | 3 | Karmalochana verse | Chant a Ganesh name each round |
| Lord Vishnu | 4 | Karmalochana verse | Also applies to Narayana and Balaji |
| Shri Krishna | 4 | Follows Vishnu | Krishna is worshipped as Vishnu |
| Shri Ram | 4 | Follows Vishnu | Ram is worshipped as Vishnu |
| Surya Dev | 7 | Karmalochana verse | The one most charts leave out |
| Hanuman ji | 3 | Temple custom | Tuesdays and Saturdays especially |
| Bhairav ji | 3 | Temple custom | Kalashtami and Sundays especially |
| Shani Dev | 7 | Temple custom | Saturdays |
| Peepal tree | 7 | Temple custom | Saturdays; 108 on Somvati Amavasya |
What Parikrama Means
Parikrama, also called pradakshina, is walking clockwise around a deity, a temple, a sacred tree or a holy place. The word pradakshina comes from dakshina, the right side. You keep the deity on your right the whole way, the side traditionally linked with respect and auspiciousness.
The idea is simple and beautiful. The deity is placed at the centre of your life, and you move around it the way planets move around the sun. It is also a quiet form of meditation, because for a few minutes your feet, breath and chanting all point at one thing.
Where the Numbers Come From
Most of the counts on those popular charts trace back to one verse quoted in the Karmalochana and repeated in puja manuals across North India. It covers five deities only.
एकं देव्यां रवौ सप्त त्रीणि कुर्याद्विनायके। चत्वारि केशवे कुर्यात् शिवे चार्धप्रदक्षिणम्॥
Ekam devyam ravau sapta trini kuryad vinayake, chatvari keshave kuryat shive chardha-pradakshinam
One round for the Goddess, seven for the Sun, three for Vinayaka, four for Keshava (Vishnu) and half for Shiva.
Everything else on the chart, including Hanuman ji, Bhairav ji, Shani Dev and the peepal tree, comes from living temple custom rather than this verse. That does not make those counts less valid. It means that if your family or pandit ji follows a different number, you are not doing it wrong.
The verse gives the numbers but not the reasons. The explanations below are the ones pandits and elders traditionally pass on. They are ways of understanding the count, not rules, and more than one can hold true at once.
Lord Shiva - Half Parikrama
Shiva is the only deity you never circle fully. The water, milk and panchamrit poured over the Shivling during abhishek drain out through the somasutra, the spout of the jalheri. That water is considered sacred and charged with the energy of the linga, so devotees do not step over it.
Here is how to do it. Start from the left side of the Shivling, walk clockwise up to the outlet, then turn back without crossing it and walk the same way back past your starting point to the outlet's other side. Your path traces a crescent, which is why it is often called chandrakar parikrama.
Some temples channel the outlet underground or cover it with stone. Practice differs on whether that allows a full circle, so follow what the temple priests do. If you are unsure, the half parikrama is never wrong. For the best days to offer abhishek, see our guide to Pradosham days in the UAE.
For your home Shiva altar
A jalheri with a proper spout makes the half parikrama easy to follow at home.
Maa Durga - One Parikrama
The Goddess in every form, Durga, Lakshmi, Saraswati, Kali, receives one parikrama. One round, done slowly and with full attention, is considered complete. Rushing extra rounds is not more devotion.
Why one? The Goddess is worshipped as Adi Shakti, the single source from which all energy flows. One complete round is read as complete surrender to that one source. Some teachers also note a loose pattern of odd counts for goddesses and even counts for male deities, though Ganesha's three shows it is not a strict rule.
With Navratri close, this is the count to remember for pandal and temple visits. Our Navratri guide for the UAE has the dates, colours and Ghatasthapana muhurat.
Ganesh ji - Three Parikrama
Ganesha receives three rounds, straight from the Karmalochana verse. Many devotees chant one of his names on each round, such as Om Gam Ganapataye Namah, Om Vighnanashaya Namah and Om Lambodaraya Namah.
Why three? Pandits most often link it to the three worlds - earth, the space between and the heavens - across all of which Ganesha clears the path. Others read it as the three gunas, sattva, rajas and tamas, that every new beginning has to pass through. Either way, three rounds make a fitting opening to any pooja, which is exactly where Ganesha is worshipped.
There is a lovely story behind Ganesha and parikrama. When he and Kartikeya raced around the world, Ganesha simply walked around his parents Shiva and Parvati and declared that they were his whole world. Parikrama, in that sense, is his festival.
Hanuman ji and Bhairav ji - Three Parikrama
Hanuman ji is circled three times, most of all on Tuesdays and Saturdays, often after offering sindoor and a diya of chameli oil. Chanting Jai Shri Ram or the Hanuman Chalisa while you walk is the natural rhythm here.
Bhairav ji, the fierce guardian form of Shiva, also receives three. Note the difference from Shiva himself: Bhairav murtis usually have no jalheri, so a full round is correct. The monthly Kalabhairav Jayanti and Kalashtami days are the most popular for his worship.
Why three? For Hanuman ji and Bhairav ji the count comes from devotional custom rather than any verse. The reading most families pass down is man, vachan and karm - one round each to offer your mind, your speech and your actions. It suits Hanuman ji especially, whose whole life was service to Shri Ram in thought, word and deed.
For Hanuman ji's Tuesday and Saturday pooja
The two offerings most devotees make before their three rounds.
Vishnu, Krishna and Ram - Four Parikrama
Lord Vishnu receives four rounds in the verse, where he is named Keshava. Krishna and Ram are both avatars of Vishnu, so they follow the same count, as do Narayana, Balaji and Jagannath.
Why four? The explanation heard most is the four purusharthas, the four aims of a human life: dharma, artha, kama and moksha. Vishnu is the sustainer who holds all four together, so one round is offered for each. Others connect it simply to his four arms, holding the conch, discus, mace and lotus.
At a Radha Krishna or Ram Darbar shrine, the count for the main deity applies to the whole altar. You do not add rounds for each figure.
Surya Dev - Seven Parikrama
This is the one most WhatsApp charts leave out, yet it sits right in the original verse. Surya Dev receives seven rounds.
Why seven? Tradition ties it to the seven horses that draw his chariot, which many read as the seven colours of sunlight. Seven is also the number of days in the Hindu week, which begins with Surya's own day, Ravivar.
Since you cannot walk around the sun, devotees offer arghya water at sunrise, then turn clockwise on the spot seven times facing east. It is a quick, joyful start to a Sunday.
Shani Dev and the Peepal Tree - Seven Parikrama
Shani Dev receives seven rounds, and so does the peepal tree, which is closely linked to Shani worship on Saturdays. The usual practice is to light a mustard oil diya at the root of the peepal on Saturday evening, offer water and black sesame, then walk around the tree seven times.
Why the peepal? In the Bhagavad Gita (10.26), Krishna says that among all trees he is the ashvattha, the peepal. That is why the tree itself is circled like a deity. The Shani link comes from a story told widely in North India: the sage Pippalada, named after the peepal that sheltered him as an orphan, confronted Shani over the hardship of his childhood, and Shani agreed to go easy on those who worship the peepal on Saturdays.
Why seven? No verse fixes the number. Many devotees simply note that it matches the count for Surya Dev, who in the Puranas is Shani's father.
On Somvati Amavasya, when the new moon falls on a Monday, many women do 108 rounds of the peepal while winding mauli thread around the trunk. For more on Saturday worship, read simple ways to please Shani Dev.
For Saturday Shani and peepal pooja
Thread for the trunk, til for the offering and a diya for the root.
Rules That Apply to Every Parikrama
- Clockwise, always. The deity stays on your right side.
- Barefoot, with a clean body and a calm mind.
- Hands folded in namaskar, or holding flowers or a diya.
- Walk at an even pace. Do not run, and do not stop midway to chat or check your phone.
- Chant as you walk, the deity's name, a mantra or simply Om.
- Finish with a bow in front of the deity before you leave.
Parikrama at Home When Your Mandir Is Against a Wall
Most home mandirs in the UAE sit on a shelf, in a cabinet or against a wall. You cannot walk around them, and you do not need to. At the end of your pooja, stand before the altar, fold your hands and turn slowly clockwise on the spot. This is called atma pradakshina and it is how countless families close their daily aarti.
यानि कानि च पापानि जन्मान्तरकृतानि च। तानि तानि विनश्यन्ति प्रदक्षिणपदे पदे॥
Yani kani cha papani janmantara kritani cha, tani tani vinashyanti pradakshina pade pade
Whatever wrongs were done in this life and past lives are dissolved with every step of the pradakshina. Chanted while turning at the end of pooja.
When you want the full walk around a shrine, our guide to Hindu temples in the UAE covers where to go.
Doing Parikrama in the UAE
The UAE has three well-loved places for a full temple parikrama. The Hindu Temple in Jebel Ali, Dubai has shrines for many deities under one roof, so you can follow several counts in one visit. The Shiva Temple in Bur Dubai, near Al Fahidi, is the city's best-known Shiva shrine. The BAPS Hindu Mandir in Abu Mreikhah, Abu Dhabi is a traditional hand-carved stone mandir.
Families in Sharjah and Ajman usually make the drive to Jebel Ali or Bur Dubai. Temple timings change around festivals, so check them before you set out.
Outdoor stone and marble around UAE temples gets painfully hot underfoot from May to September, and parikrama is always barefoot. Plan outdoor rounds for early morning or after sunset. Peepal trees are also hard to find in most UAE neighbourhoods, so many families keep the Saturday Shani rite with a diya and seven turns at the home altar instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is only half a parikrama done around a Shivling?
The water and milk offered in abhishek flow out through the somasutra, the spout of the jalheri. That water is treated as sacred and charged, so devotees do not step over it. You walk up to the outlet, turn back and complete the other side in reverse, which makes a crescent shape rather than a full circle.
Which direction should parikrama be done in?
Always clockwise, so the deity stays on your right side the whole way. That is what pradakshina literally means. Anticlockwise circling is reserved for specific funeral and ancestral rites and is never done around a deity in a temple or home altar.
What if I forget how many rounds I have done?
Start again with a calm mind rather than guessing. Many devotees hold a small flower, a grain of rice or count on the fingers of the right hand for each round. The count matters less than doing it with attention.
Can I do parikrama at home if my mandir is against a wall?
Yes. Stand in front of the altar, fold your hands and turn slowly clockwise on the spot once, keeping the deity in mind. This is called atma pradakshina and it is the standard close of a home pooja in many families. Chant the Yani Kani Cha Papani shloka as you turn.
How many parikrama for Hanuman ji and Shani Dev?
Three for Hanuman ji and seven for Shani Dev are the counts most temples follow. Neither appears in the classic Karmalochana verse, so treat them as living temple custom. If your family or pandit ji follows a different count, go with that.
Can women do parikrama during periods?
Customs differ widely between families and regions, and there is no single rule that every tradition accepts. Many families skip temple visits and parikrama on those days, while others follow no restriction at all. Follow the practice of your own family or ask your pandit ji.
How many parikrama should I do around the Tulsi plant or a banyan tree?
Tulsi is usually circled clockwise in odd numbers, most often three or seven, especially during Kartik month and Tulsi Vivah. The banyan tree gets seven, and often 108 with thread wrapped around the trunk, on Vat Savitri Vrat.
Is parikrama allowed at temples in the UAE?
Yes. The Hindu Temple in Jebel Ali, the Shiva Temple in Bur Dubai and the BAPS Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi all welcome devotees for darshan and parikrama. Crowds are heaviest on weekend evenings and festival days, so plan an early morning visit if you want a calm, unhurried round.
Walk With Intention
The number of rounds is a guide, not a test. Half a parikrama for Shiva, one for Devi, three for Ganesha, four for Vishnu and seven for Surya is what the scripture prescribes, and temple custom fills in the rest. What matters more is the clockwise step, the folded hands and the name on your lips.
Whether you are at a temple in Bur Dubai or turning slowly in front of a shelf mandir in Al Barsha, the practice is the same. For everything else your home pooja needs, Divine Sansar delivers across the UAE.
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