Which Direction Should Idols Face in a Home Mandir?
Home mandir vastu in plain terms: mandir in the north-east, idols facing west or east so you face east or north to pray. Height, spacing, deity notes.
Vastu tradition puts the home mandir in the north-east of the house, with the idols facing west or east, so that you face east or north when you pray. If you remember one thing, remember the second half: you face east or north.
Vastu directions are tradition, and they vary by school, region and family. Take this as guidance, not as a rule with a promised result. If your family follows a different practice, follow that.
The one rule: mandir in the north-east, you face east or north
| Mandir is on the | Idols face | You face | How tradition rates it |
|---|---|---|---|
| East wall | West | East | First choice |
| North wall | South | North | Accepted in many homes; some schools avoid idols facing south |
| West wall | East | West | Accepted |
| South wall | North | South | Avoided |
The north-east corner is called ishan kon. East or north of the house is the next choice when that corner is taken.
Which way the idols face
The idol and the worshipper face each other. So an idol on the east wall looks west, and you look east at it. An idol on the west wall looking east is the common alternative. Most traditions avoid the worshipper facing south.
Height: idol’s feet at about chest level when seated
Set the shelf so the idol’s feet are at about your chest height when you sit to pray. If you pray standing, the same rule applies standing. The idea is simple: you should neither look down on the idol nor strain your neck.
The practical check is reach. You should be able to lift each idol out with both hands, without a stool, to bathe and wipe it. A mandir hung too high gets dusty because nobody can reach it.
Spacing: off the wall, not facing each other, not stacked
- Keep idols an inch or so off the back wall. Custom asks for it, and it lets air and a cleaning cloth get behind.
- Leave a gap between idols so each lifts out without knocking the next.
- Do not place idols facing each other.
- Do not stack one idol directly above another on the same axis. Stepped shelves are fine.
- Keep the diya in front of the idols and lower, clear of cloth, garlands and the shelf above.
On size, 3 to 5 inch idols suit a wall shelf mandir and 6 to 10 inch suit a pooja room. Our guide to idol size for a home temple has the table.
Deity notes: Ganesha, Lakshmi, Shiva, Hanuman, Radha Krishna
| Deity | Common practice |
|---|---|
| Ganesha | Placed to the left of Lakshmi as you look at them. Many families keep one Ganesha in the mandir, not several. |
| Lakshmi | Seated form is preferred at home. Kept to the right of Ganesha. |
| Shiva | A small Shivling, with the spout of its base pointing north by custom. Many families keep it about thumb size at home. |
| Hanuman | Often placed facing south. Many families keep him outside the bedroom. |
| Radha Krishna | Kept together as a pair, in the centre or to one side. Laddu Gopal gets his own singhasan. |
These are widely followed customs, not fixed rules. Regional and sampradaya practice differs, and your family priest is the right person for specifics.
Flats where north-east is not possible
Most flats do not offer a free north-east corner. The accepted fallback is this: pick any clean, quiet wall in the east or north of the flat, or of the living room, and turn the mandir so that you face east or north. A wall mounted or cabinet mandir with doors works well in a living room.
Before you fix a wall mandir, check the load. Our brass mandirs run from 3 to 28 inch and the larger ones weigh several kilograms before a single idol goes in. Use proper wall anchors into brick or concrete, not into plaster or a hollow partition.
What to avoid: under stairs, bedroom foot side, next to a toilet wall
- Under a staircase, by custom.
- On a wall shared with a toilet, or directly above or below one.
- In a bedroom, on the side your feet point to when you sleep. If the bedroom is the only place, keep the mandir in a cabinet with doors or behind a curtain.
- On the floor. Raise it on a chowki.
- A heavy idol on a high narrow shelf above where children play. Keep heavy brass low and well back from the edge.
Setting up a mandir for the first time? Browse all idols by deity and size, or see the Diwali pooja items list for everything that goes around them. A small mandir with idols is also a common pick among housewarming gifts.
