Garbha griha literally means "womb chamber": the small, usually dark and windowless innermost room of a temple where the principal murti is enshrined, directly beneath the main tower (shikhara in North Indian temples, vimana in South Indian ones). Its womb symbolism is deliberate — the devotee's journey through the temple's halls toward the sanctum mirrors a journey inward to the divine core. In most traditional temples, only initiated priests may enter the garbha griha to perform the deity's services, while devotees receive darshan from the doorway. The sanctum's position, dimensions, and orientation are fixed by Vastu Shastra and the Agama texts that govern temple construction and worship.