Things to Avoid in a Home Temple (Mandir Mein Kya Nahi Rakhna Chahiye)

The common list: broken or chipped idols, photographs of family members who have died, clutter and unrelated objects, stale flowers and offerings, and images facing each other. Here is why, and what to do instead.

Quick answer: The things most commonly kept out of a home mandir are broken or chipped idols, photographs of family members who have died, unrelated objects and clutter, stale flowers and leftover offerings, and images placed facing each other. These come from household custom and contemporary Vastu guidance. The reasons are respect, cleanliness and keeping the shrine for the deities. A home with any of these is not "cursed", and the remedy is simply to tidy and rearrange.

The common list

1. Broken, cracked or chipped idols. Many traditions consider a damaged (khandit) image unsuitable for continued daily worship. Retire it respectfully. See below.
2. Photographs of family members who have died. Current guides consistently advise keeping ancestors' photographs out of the shrine itself and giving them a separate, respectful place. Remembering the ancestors is honoured in its own rites, such as Shraddha. Keeping them apart from the shrine is about keeping the shrine for the deities, not about the ancestors being unwelcome.
3. Unrelated objects. Keys, bills, medicines, electronics and papers tend to collect on a shrine shelf. Keep the altar for worship items only.
4. Stale flowers, dried garlands and old prasad. Clear them daily. Many families put flowers (nirmalya) in a plant pot or garden rather than the bin.
5. Images facing each other. Keep every image facing outward towards the worshipper. See puja room setup.
6. Too many images of the same deity. This is not forbidden, but a crowded shelf gets neglected. Keep one main image for daily worship.
7. Torn or faded pictures and calendars. Retire these the same way as damaged idols.

Places commonly avoided for the shrine itself

A wall shared with a toilet, under the stairs, and a basement. If you have no alternative, see home temple direction for practical options.

How to retire an old or broken idol or picture respectfully

• Give it to a temple. Many temples accept old murtis and pictures and handle visarjan themselves. This is the simplest option in a city.
• Bury it. Wooden, clay or paper images can be placed reverently in clean soil, in a garden or a large pot.
• Water immersion only for dissolvable materials. Clay and paper dissolve. Plaster of Paris does not, and should not go into rivers or the sea. A clay idol can also be dissolved in a bucket at home and the water given to plants.
• Metal and stone images can sometimes be repaired. Ask a temple or the family's priest whether repair or retirement suits your tradition.

Before removing an image, many families offer a short prayer of thanks. The words are your own. There is no required formula.

Keep what helps worship

A clean diya and thali, a bell, an incense holder, your japa mala and the book or page you read from all belong in or near the shrine. See diya placement, and start the day with something complete and short, such as the Ganesh Aarti or Gayatri Mantra.