Learn How To Arrange All Essential Pooja Items

As a Hindu, there will be several occasions, wherein you will have to conduct a pooja or some form of religious ceremony at home and in times like those, you will need traditional pooja items. However, most people are often not aware of what all is actually needed during a pooja and more importantly, how they should be arranged and used. There is a reason why all the ingredients, including the metal and other items used need to be placed in specific locations and used in particular methods. 

The arrangement of all the pooja items is normally based on the levels of the Panchatattvas or the five cosmic principles – the cosmic elements are meant to depict the journey that every individual tales from desiring the luxuries of life to attaining the eternal knowledge – from Maya to Brahmatattva. A pooja is never done with the purpose of only doing it for name sake – there is always a larger purpose behind it, and by learning how to arrange the pooja items in a proper manner, you will be able to gain better results. 

What are the levels of arrangement of pooja items:

For most people, the pooja items need to be cleaned and washed and then placed in the mandir; but very few people are actually aware that there is a system that needs to be followed and everything needs to be kept in a particular place and order. At Samskara Home, we understand how important spirituality is, which is why we understand the importance of not only owning the right pooja items, but also how to use and place them. Here is how the placement needs to be done:

• Level 1 – This is where the pooja thali and the Naivedyam has to be placed. Since the offering to the god in the form of food or sweet is often the last step of the pooja, it needs to be placed farthest away. Naivedyam is normally kept on a banana leaf and the leaf has to be kept facing downwards. The offering is meant to please the deities and bring you better luck and prosperity. The pooja thali, on the other hand, needs to be kept directly in front of the idol. Even on the thali, you need to pay attention to where what is placed – the haldi and the kumkum are placed towards the right hand, while the gulal and bukka are to be kept on the left. Items like perfume, sandalwood paste, flowers and leaves need to be kept facing the idol, while betel nut and betel leaves should be closer to you. And in the centre, you will place the Akshat or broken rice, because these are meant to be the attractor of the wave emitted by all the five main deities – Shiva, Krishna, Ganpati, Ram and Durga. At Samskara Home, you will be able to find the prettiest pooja thalis, on which you can always add more items. 
• Level 2 – Now comes the next set of items from daily pooja items list and this would include the kalash, the tumbler and the spoon used for the rituals. These items need to be kept in the centre – the purity of the water will absorb all the negative energy and offers balance. The kalash with water should be on the right of the pooja thali, while the tumbler and ritual spoon would be on the left. 
• Level 3 – The next set of items include the incense stick, the diya, the camphor and the coconut – yet again, there are specific positions for all these. The Niranjan phal or malva nut and the incense sticks are to be kept on the right of the person and the ghee diya to the left. The camphor aarti will need to be placed next to the diya and the coconut will be in the centre, close to the idol, with the tuft facing upwards. 
• Level 4 – The conch and the bell come next and these are to be placed as such – the conch to the left and the bell to the right of the person doing the pooja. 
• Level 5 – While you might have been using the high lamps as decorative items, for a pooja you will need a pair and these need to be of equal height. You will want to place these on either side of the deity and you should try to use sesame oil, because it is supposed to have a higher rajasic content. The two lamps, also known as samai, are meant to symbolise the un and the moon channels. If you choose to shop at Samskara Home, you will be able to find some incredible looking diyas and lamps that are sure to make your mandir or pooja room look prettier. 

Now that you know where to place what, it is also important to know what the more important of these items mean and why they are used. 

• Pooja thali – Perhaps the most important part of a pooja ceremony, it would be wise to invest in a silver or brass thali, because these metals are supposed to be divine. You should pick a thali that fits your mandir and will also be able to fit everything else, without looking too cluttered. However, five items are essential in a thali – a diya, bhog (which could be fruits, sweets or even dry fruits), haldi/kumkum, incense/dhoop, akshat (rice grains) and flowers or betel leaves. 
• Deity statue – Ideally, you should consider a brass statue, but you can always look for silver and these days, even ceramic materials are being considered. The statue needs to be placed in a space that is thoroughly cleaned and has a red or yellow cloth underneath. It is also important to remember that the idol faces west. 
• Diya – While you can keep only one diya in your pooja room, you can keep two to induce a sense of balance. Diyas can be lit either with oil or ghee – ghee diyas should ideally be kept on the left side of the idol and oil diyas on the right of the idol. 
• Kalash – The kalash is actually meant to signify not just life, but also wisdom and abundance and the water that is kept inside is meant to symbolise the balance of life. It is believed that when the churning of the ocean took place. Lord Vishnu filled a kalash with Amrit that all the gods consumed. This is one of the reasons why people consider that the gods reside inside a kalash filled with water. 
• Bell – When a bell is rung during the pooja, it is considered auspicious and a method to remove evil energy. While, the bell is not a compulsion, it tends to add a divine energy to proceedings. And there is no specific method of ringing the bell!