GI tagged
Swamimalai Bronze Nataraja
12-inch panchaloha lost-wax bronze, GI-tagged Swamimalai
₹62,399
Swamimalai, Tamil Nadu
Idols & Murtis
A murti stays in a family for a generation, so you should know exactly who made yours. Moradabad brass turned on a lathe, Swamimalai lost-wax bronze with its GI tag, Jaipur marble carved by name. The workshop and the town are on every listing, and a piece that arrives damaged is replaced within seven days.
Sourcing model BCurated from a named artisan or workshop. The maker ships; Shiwalay adds the box, the card and the story.
Before you choose
How to buy idols & murtis
You buy a murti once and keep it for a generation, so take your time over three things: material, form and finish. Solid brass and panchaloha bronze take abhishek and daily puja. Marble belongs in a dry home mandir. Plated pieces are for display. Every Shiwalay murti names the workshop and the town it comes from, from Swamimalai lost-wax bronze to Jaipur marble.
01
Choose by what you will do with it
If milk, water or ghee will touch it, choose brass, bronze or stone, and skip plating. For a display altar, marble, silver or gold-plated is fine.
02
Check the form before the finish
Look at the details that make the deity: Ganesha's trunk turned left for the home, Gaja Lakshmi seated on a lotus with two elephants, Nataraja inside his ring of fire. No amount of ornament makes up for a wrong form.
03
Size it to your mandir, not your room
Measure the shelf height first. A 6 to 9 inch murti suits most home mandirs. At 12 inches and above you need a pedestal of its own, and these are usually temple or gift pieces.
10 products
Jaipur Marble Ganesha
8-inch hand-painted Makrana marble, 22-carat gold detailing
₹12,749
Jaipur, Rajasthan
Narmadeshwar Shivling
Natural Narmada banalinga with brass jalhari and copper naag
₹4,399
Bakawan, Madhya Pradesh
Ashtadhatu Shivling
Eight-metal ashtadhatu Shivling with jalhari, 3 inches, 620 g
₹5,049
Cast in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh
Lab certified
Parad Shivling
Parad Shivling (Rasalingam), 100 g, with metal assay report
₹3,749
Made in Haridwar, Uttarakhand
Brass Hanuman Murti
Solid brass Hanuman, seated in blessing, 12 cm
₹2,149
Made in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh
Questions people ask about idols & murtis
- Which material is best for a home murti?
- Brass for everyday puja with abhishek. Panchaloha bronze if you want a piece your children will inherit. Marble for a dry mandir. Silver and gold-plated murtis are for display and gifting.
- Does a murti need pran pratishtha?
- For a home altar the custom is a simple sthapana on a good day, with water, sandalwood and a first aarti. A full pran pratishtha is done in temples. Our energisation option covers the home rite and sends you a video.
- Left trunk or right trunk for Ganesha?
- Left, for the home. A right-turned trunk, dakshinabhimukhi, calls for strict daily ritual and is traditionally kept in temples.
- How do I place a murti in the mandir?
- Face it east or west, never straight at the door. Seat it on a raised chowki with nothing stored above it, and leave at least an inch of space around the base.