Chowki

A chowki is the low seat that raises the deity off the altar surface. It is both practical, keeping the murti clean and level, and a matter of respect, since in most households a deity is not placed directly on the shelf or the floor. It is the piece of a mandir people most often forget to buy and then need.

The same object carries different names: chowki in much of the north, singhasan when it has an arched throne back, and bajot, patla, peetha or manai across other regions.

Match the chowki to the idol, not the shelf

The one rule that matters. A chowki should be sized to the murti that sits on it, with a little margin, not to the space available. A seat too small looks precarious and a seat too large dwarfs the deity. As a working guide, a 6 to 7 inch chowki suits a small murti, a 9 inch suits most mid-size idols, and a large installation, a Ganesh Chaturthi or Durga Puja murti, needs a proportionally larger seat.

Check the top surface dimension, not just the overall footprint, since that is what the murti actually sits on, and confirm the base of your idol will rest stably on it.

The forms

Plain chowki, round or square, in brass, a low flat seat. Singhasan, with an arched back framing the deity, more ceremonial. Our white and gold pearl chowki is the decorative end, a lighter ornamental seat for a display piece rather than a heavy brass murti.

Match the weight too: a heavy brass idol wants a solid brass chowki that will not shift, while a light plated or marble dust piece sits happily on a decorative one.

Care

Brass chowkis darken with oxidation and clean back with lemon and salt or tamarind, rinsed and dried fully. The white and gold pearl finish is decorative and wants a dry cloth only, never an abrasive or acidic cleaner. Since a chowki carries weight, check it sits level on your shelf and does not rock, which stresses the joints over time.

As a gift

A chowki completes a murti gift, and a Ganesh Chaturthi or Diwali idol given with its seat is a more finished present than the idol alone. See Ganesh Chaturthi gifts, griha pravesh and housewarming gifts; for volume, corporate gifts or the bulk order enquiry page. For the full ritual set, pooja essentials, and the deities in god idols and figurines.

Before you order

• Size the chowki to the idol, not to the shelf. Check the top surface dimension.
• Match the weight: a heavy brass murti wants a solid seat that will not shift.
• Singhasan has an arched back; a plain chowki is a low flat seat.
• Ganesh Chaturthi and Durga installations need a proportionally larger seat.