What is the purpose of idol worship in buddhism? Does the buddha help?

I come from Hindu background. Hindus do idol worship in the temples and also there are idols in home. There are elaborate rituals about how to do the worship. The core belief in hindusim is that if you worship the idol then that particular diety will grant wishes, fulfill desires and give boons to fulfill the desires in samsara. Almost 90% of how hinduism is practised is along the lines of pleasing the diety. However the central tenet of Buddhism is to get rid of desires and desiring mind. "Desire is the cause of sorrow" the Buddha said. So, My question is why do Buddhist also do idol worship. There are temples of the Buddha where there are Buddha statues and also there are rituals in front of the Buddha statue. When asked 'if the Buddha exist after the Mahaparinirvana?' The Buddha did not answer the question. Nirvana means 'blown out', 'extinguished. My question is, does the Buddha help in any way to the devotees of the Buddha. Does the Buddha help solve the problems in Samsara? How does the worshipping of the Buddha help the Buddhist on the path? Is there some part of Buddha, perhaps His consciousness gets accessed through the statue?