The universal mother. Goddess Durga has been depicted as having ten hands which indicates towards the ten organs of action and ten vital forces (prana) in the human body.

The lion under the feet of the Goddess signifies passion and lust (Kama) and the message is that the desire for sensual pleasure should be kept under control, not killed, as it is the basis for the perpetuation of life.

The mother has destroyed the demon which represents anger. By the side of mother Durga, the idol of Lakshmi, Goddess of wealth, sitting on the bird owl, has been depicted.

This is a warning to the sadhaka to guard against riches and wealth which takes away the wisdom of a person. The owl is considered to be a foolish bird which cannot see in the broad daylight and is unable to fly during the daytime.

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The idol, placed on the other side of Goddess Durga, is that of Saraswati, the Goddess of learning. The swan has been depicted as the carrier of Saraswati and symbolises knowledge and discretion.

The fact has been emphasized by the idol of Kartikeya, the commander-in-chief of the army of Gods, placed besides Saraswati.

Kartikeya is seated on a peacock which signifies strength, valour and patience. The eye in the tail of the peacock symbolises the ‘third eye’ or the ‘christ-consciousness’

Kartikeya has a bow and an arrow in his hands. The bow symbolises the physical body and the arrow in his hand symbolises the breath which make the mortal body a living one. Ganesha considered being the God of perfection, success and accomplishment.

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The idol of Ganesha is shown sitting on a mouse which has the habit of spoiling the things unnecessarily.

This symbolises the fact that unless the sadhaka suppresses and controls all his negative tendencies and stops causing harm to others, he cannot attain the oneness with God. Finally, Lord Shiva’s idol is placed at the top.

Lord Shiva symbolises shunya or ‘the void’ or ‘nothingness’, the etherial element which pervades the entire creation.