Puja Room Vastu: How to Set Up the Inside of Your Home Shrine

Once you have chosen where the mandir goes, this is how to arrange the inside: images at or above eye level when seated, not facing each other, lamp in front, samagri stored neatly, and the space kept clean.

Quick answer: Inside the shrine, place the images on a clean, raised surface so they sit at or a little above your eye level when you are seated. Keep them facing outward towards you, not towards each other, and don't crowd them. Put the diya in front of the images on a heat-safe plate. Store samagri neatly to one side or below, and clear old flowers every day. These are contemporary Vastu guidance and common household custom. The classical text this cluster relies on, Brihat Samhita 53.118, only says where the shrine goes (the north-east), not how to arrange it.

Before you start: where the shrine goes

This page covers the inside of the shrine. For which part of the home to use, including flats and every house facing, see home temple direction.

Arranging the images

• Height: keep the images off the floor, on a chowki or altar stand or a shelf. A common aim is for the deity's face to be at or slightly above your eye line when you sit to pray. You look slightly up, not down.
• Facing: all images face outward, towards the person praying. Current guides consistently advise against images facing each other. For which way you sit, see facing direction during puja.
• Spacing: leave a little space between images so each can be cleaned and offered to. A crowded shelf is harder to keep clean.
• Order: many families keep Ganesha where he is worshipped first. For the Lakshmi-Ganesh pair, see Lakshmi-Ganesh placement. For Ganesh on his own, see Ganesh idol direction.
• Size: small images suit a home shrine. There is no need for a large murti to make the shrine "complete".

Lamp, bell and incense

• Place the diya in front of the images on a metal plate or thali. Current guides often suggest the south-east side of the shrine. Details and safety are in diya direction.
• Keep incense in a holder that catches ash, away from cloth and paper pictures. See choosing an incense holder.
• A small puja bell can sit to the right of where you sit, within easy reach during aarti.

Storage and cleanliness

• Keep samagri (roli, rice, camphor, matches, oil, wicks) in a closed box or a drawer below the shrine, not scattered on the altar.
• Remove used flowers and leftover offerings daily. Many families treat them as nirmalya and place them in a plant pot or garden, or give them to a temple collection, rather than the dustbin.
• Wipe the altar and images regularly. For brass, a soft cloth usually does. Avoid harsh chemicals on painted or marble images.
• Keep religious books on a clean shelf or cloth, not on the floor.

Spots current guides advise against

• A wall shared with a toilet or bathroom.
• Under a staircase, or in a basement.
• Directly in the path of the main door or a busy corridor, where the space cannot stay quiet.

If one of these is the only option, cleanliness, a curtain or cabinet doors, and regular use matter more than moving house. The full list of things to keep out of the shrine is in things to avoid in a home temple.

Begin using it

A shrine is for daily use. A short, steady routine, such as lighting the lamp, one aarti like the Om Jai Jagdish Hare, or reading the Hanuman Chalisa, matters more than any layout detail. The aarti vidhi guide explains a simple sequence.