The idea of idol worshipping is an ideal and valuable gift, which we have got from the great sages and philosophers. Before idol worshipping everyone use to do the worshipping of total universal divine knowledge by concentrating mind through meditation. It was very difficult to concentrate on unknown or unexpressed total divine knowledge because it is really difficult for a common person to acquire the power of total divine knowledge. The great sages who had seen the idol shapes or forms in their meditation, tried to built those shapes as idols we see now a days. A human being's mind remembers about anything quickly when it is defined properly, when the object has boundaries of its own or it has a well defined shape. The shape of an object is defined in the form of idol, which can be fixed in the mind. It is easy for a common person to concentrate one's mind on an idol. After practicing to concentrate on idol at one point of time suddenly idol vanishes and feeling of total divine knowledge takes place.
The forms of idols are accepted almost in all the religions all over the world. Some important shapes of different gods are accepted and worshipped in Hinduism like Lord Ganesha, God Brahma, God Vishnu, God Shiva etc. In Hinduism there is no specific rule about the shape an idol, but more importance is given to emotions or feelings or sentiments of devotion.

Puja or worship to an image of a God with different things like fruits, flowers, water, panchamruta etc. the Sanskrit word puja is come from the Dravidians. 'Pu' means flower and 'ja' means do. The actual meaning is a flower religious service or worshipping.
In Hinduism every day, in the morning people have practice of idol worshipping of their adorable God. There is a shrine in every family where one can find the idols of different Gods and Goddesses, which are normally facing towards the direction East or West. One will see 'Panchayatan' in almost every family. 'Panchayatan' means group of five Gods/Goddesses kept together. 'Panchayatan' Gods are Lord Ganesha, God Shiva, God Vishnu, God Surya and Goddess Shakti. The arrangement of the 'Panchayatan' is done in such a way that the particular God is placed in the middle of the other four Gods. (eg. God Shiva's Panchayatan-God Shiva is placed in the middle and others are placed at a fixed location around the God Shiva's idol.)

Lord Ganesha's Panchayatan
 
 

Material required for puja(worshipping),

 

Panchamrita - Milk, curds, ghee(butter), sugar and honey is mixed together and used to give bath to Lord      Ganesha.

 

Gandha - A fine wet paste of sandalwood.  

Haldi - A fine powder of turmeric.  

kumkum - A fine red powder.

 

Ashta-gandha - A dry powder smells good.

Shendur - A dry powder of red lead.

Aakashta - Rice grains coloured with kumkum.

Dhoop - A pastil comes in stick form.

Deep - Cotton is shaped to form a wick. Two wicks are used at a time to lit a deep. The wicks are immersed in oil or ghee.

 

Samai - An upright metal lamp stand with a oil container at the top. Two wicks can be put to lit it.

 

Pushpa(flowers) - Mandar, Rose, Bakul(Ediyan), Kewada(Pandanus), Champak(Oleander), Lotus(Comomile) etc.

Abhisheka-patra - A metal pot used to do a consecration which has a hole at the bottom. It is put on the tri-pod.

 

 

Patri

Coconut

 

Supari

Kalash - A pot with water and a twig having at least five mango leaves put on it and a coconut placed on it.
 

Offering - Dry coconut piece with jaggery, fruit, full meal(including rice, dal, puri, kheer, cut piece of lemon, chatani, salad, panchamrita-a gravy made up of coconut pieces/sesame/poppy seed/jaggery, sweet modak, curd rise).
 

Pancha-khadya - An offering is mixed with five dry etables like raisins, date-plum, dry coconut, poppy seed, sugar candy.

Havidravya - Durva, rice popcorns, modak, samidha(dry sticks of trees like Shami, Mandar), cesame are used to offer while Aahuti in Yadnya(a burnt offering).

 

Durva - A kind of Green or white grass.
 

Karpoor(camphor) - To burn.
 

Bell.

Shankha(Conch).

Attar:a sent made from flowers like kewda (Pandanus Odoratissimuo L ).rose(rosa sp),etc.
 
 

There are different puja's of Lord Ganesha, which are as follows,
1. Panchopachari puja.
2. Shodosopachari puja.

Panchopachari puja

means a worship that embodies five items. These five items are,
a)Gandha (the Sandalwood paste)
b)Pushpa(the flower)
c)Dhoop(the pastil)
d)Deep(the light)
e)Naivedya(the offering of food, fruit or anything beloved thing to Lord Ganesha)

Steps to follow for Panchopachari puja -

Give bath to Lord Ganesha with water (preferably lukewarm water.)
Wipe it with a clean washed piece of cloth.
Put tikka, a round circle of wet sandalwood paste.
Offer pastil stick.
Offer Deep. A small metal lamp with two wicks (a bud shaped cotton dipped in oil and cotton is lit). Which one can move in clockwise direction before God and placed in front of the God.
Offering Naivedya - dip two finger tips of right hand(the index and the middle fingers) in water and do a mandal on ground or flat surface.(mandal is a square shape figure made by water with two fingers). Place an offering on it. Take water on the fingertips and move it around the offering in clockwise direction for three times. Simultaneously close the eyes and touch the left hand's thumb & index finger to the eye.

Shodopachari puja

A worship which embodies sixteen items. In this sixteen steps are followed,
a)Aawahan - to call the God by meditation.
b)Asan- a seat for God. It should be at the position higher than your sitting position.
c)Padya-Offering a water to God and washing the feet of the God.
d)Aaredhya
e)Aachaman- offer drinking water to God for mouthful.
f)Snana- give a bath with milk, yogurt, honey, ghee and sugar. It is called as Panchamrita Snana. One can do a snana only with milk. Then give bath with gandha.(sandalwood paste) Do a abhisheka(consecration) with water and reciting a hymn. For Lord Ganesha 'Aatharvashirsha', 'Bramhanaspati Sukta' are some of the famous hymns. Abhisheka means continuous flow of water through abhisheka patra (a metal pot with a hole at the bottom use to do consecration) on the idols head.
g)Vastra- offer of a cloth or garment to God.
Yadanyopavite(the sacrificial thread or 'Janave') - offer Yadanyopavite to God and put 'Akashata' on God.(rice grains colored with kum-kum.)
h)Gandha- put haladi(fine powder of turmeric) and kum-kum and put a tikka of gandha a circle of wet find sandalwood paste)
i)Pushpa- offering beloved flowers and leaves to God, eg. Shoe flower, Rose, Mandar, Kewada, leaves like Shami and Durva.
j)Dhoop-means to offer fire or the pastil.
k)Deep
l)Naivedya
m)Pradakshina - circumambulating around the God.
n)Namaskar - to salute, a complete unreserved salutation.
o)Mantrapushpa - flowers to be taken in hand and to be offered to God with mantra.

The things used in puja are used symbolically to show the devotion towards the God,

Panchamrita

five elements are used for panchamrita. One should try to develop the qualities of these five things.
Milk is the symbol of whiteness and clearness. One's character and life should be clear and pure like milk.
Yogurt or curds has its own quality of changing others like own. Small quality of curd mixes with large quantity of milk and changes milk to curd. It means one should change other persons bad qualities to good one with a very small quality of good and one should keep one self's qualities as it is and change others.
Ghee is always thick so one should try to keep or develop the thick or close relationship with friends and others.
Honey is sweet and gives strength one should try to develop strengths and sweetness in life like honey.
Sugar is sweet. One should have sweetness in speaking with others and try to bring sweetness in life. Sugar dissolves and creates sweetness to other things in which it dissolves. This way we should also try to bring sweetness in others life.

Flowers

Flower has good odour and colour. Everyone pleases with its good odour and colour. We offer flowers to God.