Pran-Pratishtha

Prana pratishtha is the rite or ceremony by which a murti is consecrated in a Hindu temple. The Sanskrit terms prana means "life" and pratishtha means "to be established." Following detailed steps outlined in the Vedic scriptures, verses (mantras) are recited to invite the deity to reside in the murti (image). Practised in the temples of Hinduism and Jainism, the ritual is considered to infuse life into the Hindu temple, and bring to it the numinous presence of divinity and spirituality.