Also known asidolganesh idolstatuepratima
Pictures of God should be complete with the feet clearly visible, never cut-outs; the deity should face North-East, while devis and devtas can face West.
Deity faces North-East; devis may face West
Several popular fancy-vastu items are not recommended: aluminium wind chimes pollute the air, the laughing Buddha and bamboo flutes under beams are myths, pig figures make no sense, and idols showing only a face or a half-cut deity are wrong.
Entrance and living areas
No. Keep the samagri simple and do the pooja from the heart; any pooja is an offering of feelings, and what matters is the bhav offered, not whether paan or gud could be offered.
It can be balanced with methods taught later. A good immediate remedy is to place the deity in the exact West of the home so that it faces East; when the deity looks to the East, the direction corrects itself.
A daily bath in water in which a potli of the herbs of the nine planets has been dipped; tirth darshan during every eclipse and during vyatipat yoga; using swar in every daily activity from waking to sleeping; and daily abhishek of the consecrated deity, applying the dust of the feet of the deity on the forehead and sprinkling the abhishek water in the house above navel height.
To change the mind (chitt) through images (chitra), even the minds of the devtas. Agni is regarded as a virgin goddess who feels shy on seeing such scenes, so lightning has never struck these temples, and the pleasure-loving Indra, lord of rain, is pleased and gives Khajuraho good rain; tribal women still plough naked under the moonlight when rain fails. The kings also wanted their heirs not to become ascetics.
All of them, photos of ancestors, gods and family and statues of deities, will be taught in detail later, including where each goes and which way it should face. Even the wider world is confused about which way ancestors' photos should face.
Hanging is ruled out for consecrated deities: if the idols are pran-pratishthit (consecrated), they must never hang.
Raw shape also works; no particular form is needed. A statue carved from the stone, such as a Saraswati in citrine, lapis lazuli or any quartz, works double.
If it holds a consecrated (pratishthit) idol, the idol should be moved. If the idol is not consecrated, there is no need to worry, as these rules apply to consecrated idols.
Yes, there is no problem in putting God's photo in the Brahmasthan, because it is the place of Brahma.
Yes, they also represent a planet and should be placed correctly. A consecrated God's photo should face North or East, or West if that is not possible, but never South; South-facing is for the photos of ancestors who have left this world.
A statue of Lord Buddha can be kept, but not a Laughing Buddha.
If it is kept with a purpose there is no problem; it depends on the purpose for which the statue was made and is kept.