refers to the

rite Rite may refer to: * Ritual, an established ceremonious act * Rite of passage, a ceremonious act associated with social transition Religion * Rite (Christianity), a sacred ritual or liturgical tradition in various Christian denominations * Catho ...

or ceremony by which a

murti In the Hindu tradition, a ''murti'' ( sa, मूर्ति, mūrti, ) is a devotional image such as a statue, or "idol" (a common and non-pejorative term in Indian English), of a deity or saint. In Hindu temples, it is a symbolic icon. T ...

(vessel for the spirit of god) is consecrated in a

Hindu temple A Hindu temple, or ''mandir'' or ''koil'' in Indian languages, is a house, seat and body of divinity for Hindus. It is a structure designed to bring human beings and gods together through worship, sacrifice, and devotion.; Quote: "The Hi ...

, wherein hymns and mantra are recited to invite the deity to be resident guest, and the murti's eye is opened for the first time. Practiced in the temples of

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or ''dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global po ...

and

Jainism Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle being ...

, the ritual is considered to infuse life into the Hindu temple, and bring to it the numinous presence of divinity and spirituality. The ceremony, states Heather Elgood, marks the recognition of the image of god to represent "a particle of the divine whole, the divine perceived not in man's image as a separate entity but as a formless, indescribable omnipresent whole", with the divine presence a reminder of its transcendence and to be beheld in one's inner thoughts during

darśana Hindu philosophy encompasses the philosophies, world views and teachings of Hinduism that emerged in Ancient India which include six systems ('' shad-darśana'') – Samkhya, Yoga, Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Mimamsa and Vedanta.Andrew Nicholson ...

in the temple.

In Hinduism

The Sanskrit word ', which in general usage means "resting" or "position", used in connection with a murti is translated by Apte as "the consecration of a vessel or dwelling". The corresponding adjective ' means "installed" or "consecrated".For the meaning of ' as installed or consecrated see: Apte, p. 653, column 2, meaning 4. ''Prana'' means "life force, breath, spirit". The phrase ''Prana Pratishtha'' is a ritual that means, state Bhame and Krusche, "bringing life to the temple". It is also referred to as ''

Murti In the Hindu tradition, a ''murti'' ( sa, मूर्ति, mūrti, ) is a devotional image such as a statue, or "idol" (a common and non-pejorative term in Indian English), of a deity or saint. In Hindu temples, it is a symbolic icon. T ...

Sthapana'' (image placement inside the temple), or the composite word ''Pranapratishtha''. Traditionally, this was the step when the eye of the murti was sculpted open, inside the ''garbhagriha'' (Purusha space of the temple) of a

. The ritual typically involves a

Puja Puja or Pooja may refer to: Religion *Puja (Hinduism), a ritual to host, honor or of devotional worship, or one to celebrate an event * Puja (Buddhism), expressions of honour, worship and devotional attention * Puja, a wooden stick, sometimes lea ...

, chanting of Sanskrit

mantra A mantra ( Pali: ''manta'') or mantram (मन्त्रम्) is a sacred utterance, a numinous sound, a syllable, word or phonemes, or group of words in Sanskrit, Pali and other languages believed by practitioners to have religious, ...

s as the deity is moved from outside into the center place, inviting the deity as resident guest of the temple, bathing and cleansing the deity whose feet may be washed just like a revered guest arriving after a long journey, dressing and seating in a place of comfort, placing the image's face towards east (marking sunrise), followed by ''Nyasa'' with hymns (act of touching different parts of the murti signifying the presence of various gods as sensory organs – Indra as hand,

Brahma Brahma ( sa, ब्रह्मा, Brahmā) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the trinity of supreme divinity that includes Vishnu, and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp ...

as heart,

Surya Surya (; sa, सूर्य, ) is the sun as well as the solar deity in Hinduism. He is traditionally one of the major five deities in the Smarta tradition, all of whom are considered as equivalent deities in the Panchayatana puja and a ...

as eyes, and so on), spraying of scented water and flowers, with the ''Chaksu͡unmilan'' (Sanskrit: "chakshu unmilan", opening of the divine eye) ceremony marking the high point of the ritual. The image is then considered as consecrated. In large and ceremonial public temples, the ''murti'' may be retired at sunset just like a guest retiring to bed, and then woken up at sunrise with pleasantries, washing, offering of fresh clothes, food and interaction with the devotees. Some temples may include elaborate procession, as community events such as traditional singing and dancing events to mark the celebration. A special type of consecration is used for festival icons (Sanskrit: ') for the purpose of parading the deity for the community to receive the vision (Sanskrit: ') of the deity.

In Jainism

Another term used for consecration in the

Jain Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle being ...

tradition is ', the "eye-opening" rite by which a qualified practitioner "enlivens" a murti for worship. Digambara Jains consecrate the statue of a Jina by the ritual of

Abhisheka Abhisheka () means "bathing of the divinity to whom worship is offered." It is a religious rite or method of prayer in which a devotee pours a liquid offering on an image or murti of a God or Goddess. Abhisheka is common to Indian religions ...

, where the statue is awakened by pouring of auspicious liquids such as water, clarified butter, coconut milk, yellow sandalwood water, cow milk and other liquids successively. The temple is considered active only when the main Jina image has been consecrated. The ritual of consecrating an image to bring "life to temple" is attested in medieval Jain documents.

References

V Bharne and K Krusche (2012), Rediscovering the Hindu Temple, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, , page 53 Heather Elgood (2000), Hinduism and the Religious Arts, Bloomsbury Academic, , pages 14-15, 32-36 Heather Elgood (2000), Hinduism and the Religious Arts, Bloomsbury Academic, , pages 32-36 C Fuller (2004), The Camphor Flame: Popular Hinduism and Society in India, Princeton University Press, , pages 67-68 For ', the "eye-opening" rite, see: Cort, John E. "Overview of the Jain ", in: Doniger, p. 197. For the technical term ' for consecration of festival icons, and role in providing ' see: Flood (2003), p. 7. Lisa Owen (2012), Carving Devotion in the Jain Caves at Ellora, BRILL, , pages 44, 146-147, 184-186 Hillary Rodrigues (2003), Ritual Worship of the Great Goddess, McGill Studies in the History of Religions, State University of New York Press, , Chapter 3

Cited sources

* * (Fourth revised and enlarged edition). * * {{Hinduism footer small Rituals in Hindu worship