if you are not sure how to properly place Ganesh idols in your pooja room, this would be useful to you. Here is all you need to know about keeping and worshipping Ganesha idols in the puja room.
Rules to Follow When Placing Ganesh Idols in a Puja Room
The Ishan Corner
The northeast corner of the house is the best place to setup the pooja room. The north-east corner is also known as the Ishan corner. It is the best place to keep your Ganesha idol to offer prayers. If northeast corner is unavailable, place Ganesha idol in the direction so that idols face west or north. If possible, select north, as it is the abode of Lord Shiva, father of Ganesha. But, when you offer prayers, your face should only be towards east – the vastu preferred direction.
[The Ishan Corner] That said, you should never place Ganesha idol or locate pooja rooms in the south or southeast directions. ‘Yama’ and ‘Agni’ rule these directions respectively. So, if you place ganesh idols on these directions, you won’t be getting the blessings you wish for.
When you place Ganesha idol among all other idols of deities, make sure it is properly viewable. Not just the Ganesha idol, but also all the other idols placed in the pooja room should be viewable. However, vastu doesn’t advocate the idea of using large Ganesha idols in the pooja room. The idol should be viewable, but not too big.
It’s never ideal to place Ganesha idols under the stairway
You will find many people squeezing in the pooja room under the stairway of their home. Maybe they don’t have much space in their house. Maybe they think it’s a better utilization of space. But, according to vastu, it’s never ideal to have Ganesha idols placed under the stairway. Quite frankly, it is a matter of commonsense. Will the Gods be pleased to have people stomping above their head, up and down the stairs?
You should not keep Ganesh idols near the Bathroom
Never place the Ganesha idols near the toilet walls. Ideally, toilet should not come above, below, opposite or adjacent to pooja rooms. You don’t want the negative energies from the bathroom spoiling the atmosphere of pooja room, do you?
Ganesha not Ideal in a Bedroom
When it comes to bedroom, it’s advised not to have pooja room in the bedroom. But if there is no other option, keep the idols in the north-east corner of the room. And when you sleep, your feet should not point to the idols placed in that corner.
How to Install a Ganesha Idol in Pooja Room
The best way to install Ganesha idol is to have it on a small wooden table or board. Cover this wooden table using a red piece of cloth. It is said that Lord Ganesha loves red cloth, red flowers and in general, the color red. Now add flowers, garlands and other Shringars for the idol. It is also auspicious to keep a small bowl of rice at the feet of the Ganesha idol.
After installation, you should take good care of this Ganesha idol. Clean the idol and wooden table quite often. If you can, use Ganga water to clean the idol. Because according to our Epics and Puranas, River Ganga is considered holy and the purest.
Ganesh idols you should not use in your Puja room
Though, there are many types of Ganesha idols available today, some of these are not advisable for your home, especially in your puja room.
For example, a Ganesha idol with his trunk to the right side, also called Dakshinabhimukhi murti, needs special worship. And if you fail to do these special poojas and routines, this Ganesha can get angry pretty quickly. Like the Dakshinabhimukhi murti, it’s best you avoid idols of Nataraj Ganesha. It is also not recommended to place fancy Ganesha idols like the one where Lord Ganesh is seen playing with musical instruments in your puja room.
It is also not advisable to place more than one Ganesh idol in your puja room, because it is considered inauspicious. Acharyas and sacred puranas say you need only one idol for worshipping. So, if you have more than one idol in your puja room, make sure you move additional ones to other parts of your home. (Say, to your show cases)
How to Offer Prayers to Lord Ganesh
Installing Ganesha idol at home is one part and worshiping is another. If you fail at offering prayers, you won’t get the full advantage of having Ganesha idols at home. So here are some ways to worship and offer prayers to Lord Ganesha.
To worship Lord Ganesha, you need a list of things from kumkum, rice, flowers, diya, ghee and incense sticks. Place small portion of rice at his feet, light the diya using ghee, light the incense sticks, apply kumkum to the idol and pray.
It is also advisable to chant the Ganesh Mantra when you offer prayers:
Vakratunda mahaakaaya suryakoti sama prabha nirvighnam kuru mey deva, sarva kaaryashu sarvadaa
On Wednesdays, the day of Lord Ganesha, add nuts, leaves and sweets to the list of items and do an aarthi with camphor. Use red colored flowers on this day to worship Lord Ganesha. Milkweed flower, Conch flower etc are also favorites of Lord Ganesha.
In addition to this, when you light a ‘diya’ in the pooja room, the light should fall directly on every idol in the pooja room. This diya or lamp should be placed at the southeast corner of the puja room. And you are supposed to light the diya twice every day. Once at the time of sunrise and a second time during the time of sunset.