The Complete Guide to Buying an Indian Temple Mandir for Your Home

In many homes throughout the world, the mandir becomes the perfect representation of their place of worship both physically and mentally. This is a special room that is set aside as the place to visit daily for prayers, meditation, offering of incense, as well as spending some quiet moments before undertaking any daily duties. Ownership of a mandir that is high quality provides one with great pride, sense of rootedness, as well as good vibes around their place of living.

It needs to be noted that buying a mandir entails far much more than buying regular furniture items such as book shelves and coffee tables. Your mandir contains all the gods that you adore, holy books, and all cherished items.

It is therefore important for you to ensure that you get a piece of furniture that appreciates the rich cultural meaning of the mandir. In this case, it becomes important to consider elements such as the size of the furniture, specifications in materials by the craftsman, storage of items used in prayers, among others.

Depending on whether you’re moving into a new home and require an extremely large wooden mandir or live in a small city apartment and are seeking a wall mandir, it’s essential that you choose the one right for you. This comprehensive guide will ensure that you learn all you need to know about choosing the best Indian temple mandir.

Why Vastu Shastra Matters in Choosing Your Mandir

Vastu Shastra is an ancient structural science in India. It determines how the construction should be arranged.

As far as installing a mandir within a home is concerned, vastu plays a critical role. By adhering to these guidelines, you’ll ensure that positive energy enters the space, promoting happiness and prosperity within the house. In order to buy a mandir, you have to decide on where you intend to place it first.

The Best Orientation for the Mandir

In accordance with Vastu Shastra, the best place to construct the mandir is the northeast portion of your property. The northeast part is called Ishan Kone and symbolizes water and hence luck. However, if the design of your house cannot accommodate the construction of the mandir in the northeast sector, then you can do so in the northern or eastern portion of your house.

Orientation for Prayers

While praying, if you sit in a kneeling posture, then you should always pray facing the eastern or northern direction. Therefore, while constructing the mandir, make sure that the mandir faces towards the western or southern direction.

Avoid These Locations Absolutely

As per Vastu Shastra, there are certain places where one must never install a mandir.

• A mandir must never be located in your bedroom, even if you have no other alternative except for the small size of your home. In case that is the only way out, you must cover it with a curtain or doors which must remain closed at night.
• You must avoid placing the mandir under a stairway since it is considered disrespectful and people will repeatedly walk on top of your mandir.
• Never locate a mandir beside or on the same wall as your bathroom/toilet.
• While placing the mandir, it can be either placed on the floor or hung on walls but must not be placed directly on the ground. You need to place a wooden base under the mandir if it does not have any legs.

Choosing the Right Material: Wooden, Marble or Metallic?

What you select will affect the longevity of the structure, its weight, and how well it complements your home décor. Although wood is far more common, there are several materials you can go with, and all of them make great choices.

1. Teak Wood (Sagwan)

Teak wood represents the ideal choice when it comes to crafting furniture in India. It is extremely dense, very heavy, and termite- and weather-resistant. The wood grain on teak has a very tight and beautiful pattern, which becomes absolutely striking when polished. Due to its strength, highly talented craftsmen can create extremely detailed designs on the pillars and domes, without any worry about the wood being scratched or broken during the carving process.

2. Sheesham Wood (Indian Rosewood)

It is considered that Sheesham wood is very lucky for making religious idols and other religious things. This wood has a very warm and rich red-brown color and it makes your room look very cozy. An important feature of sheesham wood is its high durability. The cost of sheesham wood is somewhat lesser than that of teak but its durability remains the same.

3. Mango Wood

Nowadays, Mango wood has gained popularity for making modern furniture items. Its main property is being eco-friendly as this wood is used from a mango tree once it stops giving fruit. The color and density of mango wood are somewhat lower than that of teak wood. Furthermore, it can be painted in many colors.

4. Marble

The mandir made out of the white marble is one of the most luxurious and peaceful types of mandir available. They do not feel warm to touch; moreover, they are not affected by water and termites at all. 

However, they are quite heavy materials. Thus, it is almost impossible for you to relocate your mandir after it is placed because they are way too heavy and cannot be hung on a regular dry wall. Take extra care when cleaning your mandir as any oil stains or even turmeric would permanently disfigure your mandir as the material is quite porous.

5. Metal (brass or copper)

Another small mandir that is also worth consideration may be constructed out of metal such as brass or oxidized copper. These metals ensure the durability of your mandir. Also, they may be decorated with a special design such as stamps made in metal. While brass may get some fading throughout the years, it is always possible to polish it.

Size and Dimensions: Matching Your Space Needs

An overly big mandir will overcrowd your room and leave little or no space for movement. In case you go for a too small mandir, there would be inadequate space for the idols and framed photos.

Physical Space Measurement

Measure carefully using a meter stick the width and depth of the physical space meant for flexible the mandir. You should have at least 100 cm of physical space in front of the mandir which allows you to sit comfortably with folded legs for your daily puja.

The Height of the Idols

This aspect is very important but always forgotten by most people. Traditionally, the base of the idol should be kept on the same height with your eyes or chest when praying. In case the mandir bought is too tall, you'll end up standing up to view the idols. Choose the mandir whose main inner shelf is about 60 cm to 90 cm above the floor.

Wall-Hung vs. Standing

In case you reside in an apartment where there is not enough room on the floor, a wall-hung mandir makes for an ideal choice. The unit hangs on the wall studs and normally contains one shelf along with a dome that is relatively smaller than that of a standing mandir. A standing mandir creates a much more majestic impression and also provides ample storage in its base.

Mandir Design and Architecture

The Indian mandir is available in a huge range of designs.

Open vs. Closed (with doors)

In an open mandir, there are no doors at the front. This type of mandir helps one visualize the idols clearly from anywhere within the mandir, all the time. 

However, the closed mandir has two doors at the front, which are typically decorated with bells, flowers, or cutouts on the door. Doors are very useful as they help protect the idols from dust; according to the custom, the doors have to be closed during the night hours when the gods are asleep or when there is an eclipse.

Shikhara/Domes

Traditional wooden mandirs usually have either one, three, or five domes at the very top; these mimic the structures of stone-made mandirs found in India. The domes, or Shikhara, help lift one's gaze towards them and lend the mandir religious significance. For those who have very low ceilings or plan to place their mandir in a cabinet, remember to add up the height of the domes while taking your measurements.

Beautiful Wooden Engravings

Check out the pillars and the back wall. In most high-end wooden mandirs, peacock engravings, elephant carvings, lotus designs, or Om engraving can be seen. The south Indian style consists of dense and dark wood along with intricate and detailed pillars. In contrast, the north Indian style and Rajasthani styles could have light wood with Meenakari engravings in red, gold, and green colors.

Mandir Specifications for Daily Prayers

While aesthetics are important, functionality is also essential when buying a mandir for daily worshiping rituals. Pay attention to the specifications in the design itself.

Pull-out Diya Tray 

This is perhaps the most vital functional aspect. Whenever you use an oil lamp (diya) or incense sticks, never ever set them on the wooden shelf, which is placed in close proximity to the idols, as an open flame can lead to burning the shelf or leaving behind black soot stains. An ideal mandir consists of a pull-out wooden tray in the middle where you can put the lit diya so as to be safe from flames.

Deep Storage Drawers 

When it comes to daily prayers, one will need a lot of items including matchboxes, cotton threads, oil bottles, incense sticks, camphor, holy water, and brass bells. All these objects will occupy a significant amount of space and will look ugly scattered all around the mandir. Choose a mandir with a few deep drawers in the bottom part to store all your objects inside them.

Internal Step Shelves

When you have more than one idol or picture, you cannot put all of them on the same level since those behind would not be visible. A quality mandir will come equipped with step shelves inside which look like a miniature staircase. You can then display your idols at different levels so each one is visible.

Maintaining Your Wooden Mandir

For your mandir to always look beautiful and avoid any damage, you must show respect for it through proper care.

Wood Cleaning

Always make sure that you do not use water-drenched clothes to clean the wooden mandir, nor should you use any chemical cleaner for the glass because it might remove the protective layer from the wood.

What you need to do is to use a dry cloth made of microfiber. It will allow you to easily wipe dust from the wooden mandir daily. Once a week, take a cloth which is a bit damp and start cleaning all the flat areas. Dry them with paper towels immediately.

Cleaning Oil and Soot

Whenever there are oil lamps lit along with incense, it will lead to deposition of sticky soot and ash, resulting in permanent staining on the roof and the back walls of your mandir. For this purpose, always remember to pull out the tray completely before putting in fire. In case oil drips, then it must be cleaned immediately because wood absorbs the oil and causes staining. You can even put a transparent glass or cloth on the wood shelf to prevent oil spillage.

No Sunlight Exposure

When you put the mandir in front of a window that gets intense afternoon sunlight, the UV light will cause the wood to lose its color over time and will dry up the joints, causing them to crack. The mandir should always be placed in a room with sufficient lighting but no direct sunlight.

Shop Premium Mandirs at Furniture Castle

Choosing the appropriate mandir is a very personal process. With the proper use of Vastu principles, accurate space measurements, and top-grade material usage and adequate storage options, you will be able to build yourself a beautiful mandir that will act as the centerpiece of your household and will cater to your needs for many years to come.

When you are ready to construct your spiritual sanctuary, look no further than Furniture Castle.

We specialize in manufacturing luxurious, custom-made furniture that caters to your specific cultural and spatial needs.

Explore our stunning Religious Furniture Collection today to discover beautifully crafted mandirs featuring intricate carvings, practical storage, and premium wood finishes. Enjoy a 10-year structural guarantee and direct shipping to your door anywhere in Australia!

FAQs

1. Can I install a mandir in my living room?
Yes, a living room is one of the most commonly used spots to install a mandir, particularly in contemporary housing arrangements. You just need to ensure that you install the mandir in the northeast part of your room. Also, make sure to purchase the mandir with closed shutters for closing it when you entertain people in your home during loud get-togethers.

2. Does the mandir have to be on the floor?
Traditionally, the basic mandir structure should never be placed straight on the floor. You should ensure that there is some elevation using wooden feet under the structure or even a solid base block. In case the mandir that you have bought is flat-bottomed, you can always place it on top of a wooden board or mat.

3. How do I light up a wooden mandir?
In many cases, contemporary wooden mandirs come with holes pre-drilled at the top or rear end of the mandir to enable you to run electric wires inside the structure. For instance, you can fit a warm-white LED strip light to the ceiling of your mandir. LEDs are the best since they generate no physical heat.

4. Can I hang pictures of my dead ancestors in the mandir?
According to Vastu Shastra, it is very improper to keep any pictures of the dead family members or ancestors along with the deities in the main mandir. One must display the pictures of the ancestors at a different place or in a different room of the house such as the southern part of the house.

5. What should I do if the wood is scratched?
In case there is any scratch on the wooden base of the shelf due to a brass idol kept on it, then you need not worry much. For light scratching marks on dark-colored woods like sheesham wood and teak wood, just apply a little linseed oil or wood touch-up pen in the scratched portion.