Paddhatis — the “how” of every puja

Scope — Grihya samskaras (16 life-cycle rites), srauta yajnas, daily sandhya. Most widely-followed in South Indian Smartha + Sri Vaishnava households.

Hallmarks — Distinct sankalpa pattern, specific timing rules for upakarma + tarpana, emphasis on dakshinamukha (south-facing) shraddha. The "Bodhayana sutra" reference printed in most South Indian panchangas is from this paddhati.

Who follows it — Most Tamil + Kannada + Telugu Smartha + Sri Vaishnava families. Many Iyengar temples follow it for archaka procedures.

Scope — Same scope as Bodhayana (samskaras + srauta + grihya), but with different procedural choices at key steps — e.g. shraddha sankalpa wording, agnihotra fire-laying order, certain mantra substitutions.

Hallmarks — A family that traditionally followed Apastamba does NOT mix in Bodhayana mantras mid-ritual; the paddhati is followed end-to-end as one consistent procedural unit.

Who follows it — Andhra + Rayalaseema Smarthas, some Telugu Sri Vaishnava trusts, segments of Karnataka brahmin communities.

Scope — Grihya samskaras for families that trace their Vedic upadhyaya to the Rig Veda. Differs from Bodhayana (which is Yajurveda-aligned) in mantra selection at key samskara steps.

Hallmarks — Specific upakarma date (typically Shravana purnima), Rig-Vedic sankalpa structure, distinct upanayana procedure.

Who follows it — Smarta families with Rig Veda affiliation. Common in parts of Karnataka, Maharashtra, and the Konkan coast.

Scope — Samskaras for Sama Vedic families. Strong emphasis on melodic chant (saman) at key ritual points — making the audible "feel" of the ritual distinctly musical.

Hallmarks — Sama-gana embedded in upanayana and vivaha; the same mantras a Yajurvedic priest would recite are sung melodically by a Sama Vedic priest.

Who follows it — Smarta families with Sama Veda affiliation. Numerically smaller than Bodhayana / Apastamba but tradition is alive.

Scope — Vishnu archana, Andal Margazhi seva, Tiruvaradhana home worship, vivaha + upanayana for Sri Vaishnava families. Pacharatra agama is the scriptural base; the paddhati is how it is operationalised in a Sri Vaishnava temple.

Hallmarks — Tiruman + srichurnam application, specific naivedya offerings (akkaravadisal, sakkarai pongal at Margazhi), Pasuram (Tamil Divya Prabandham) recitation alongside Sanskrit mantras.

Who follows it — All Sri Vaishnava (Iyengar) temples and households — Vatakalai (northern) + Tenkalai (southern) sub-paddhatis differ in detail.

Scope — Krishna archana, dwadashi paaranai timings, Vaishnava chaturmasya, Tulasi-vivaha, vivaha and samskaras for Madhva families.

Hallmarks — Strict tithi observance for ekadashi + dwadashi, specific Tulasi-stotra recitations, harikatha + bhajan tradition integrated with daily seva.

Who follows it — All Madhva temples (Udupi Ashta Mathas, Pejawar lineage, Sode, Shirur, Krishnapura) + Madhva households across coastal Karnataka, parts of Andhra, Maharashtra Konkan.

Scope — Panchayatana puja (Surya + Ganesha + Vishnu + Shiva + Devi at one altar), pancha-mahayajnas (daily five-fold worship), samskaras with Adi Sankara's mata-grantha references.

Hallmarks — No exclusive ishta-devata at the temple level — the same priest performs Shiva + Vishnu + Devi rituals depending on the day. The "all-deities-equal" panchayatana model is the philosophical signature of Smartha temples.

Who follows it — Most Sringeri / Kanchi / Govardhan-affiliated brahmin households; thousands of small temples across Karnataka, Andhra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala.

Scope — Kali puja, Durga puja (the 4-day Pujo procedure), Tara worship, Bagalamukhi + the dasha-mahavidyas. Distinct from South Indian Shakta paddhatis like Parasurama Kalpasutra.

Hallmarks — Bhutashuddhi + Nyasa preceding worship, specific bali (offering) sequences, integration of Chandi-path / Devi-mahatmya saptashati paath into daily worship.

Who follows it — Most Bengali Shakta temples — Dakshineswar, Kalighat, Tarapith, Kamakhya (with regional variations).

Scope — Siva-puja in Tamil Saiva temples — Chidambaram, Tiruvannamalai, Madurai Meenakshi, Rameswaram. Daily kala-pujas (6 a day at major Saiva temples) + special procedures for Pradosham + Maha Sivaratri.

Hallmarks — Tamil Tevaram + Tiruvasagam recited alongside Sanskrit Sri Rudram, ash + sandal abhisheka sequence, distinct lingam-treatment rules.

Who follows it — All major Tamil Shaiva temples following the Shaiva Siddhanta paddhati.