 | This articlerelies largely or entirely on asingle source. Relevant discussion may be found on thetalk page. Please helpimprove this article byintroducing citations to additional sources. Find sources: "Kumbhabhishekham" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(October 2020) |
Kumbhabhishekam, also known asSamprokshanam is aHindu temple ritual that is believed to homogenize, synergize and unite the mystic powers of the deity. It is part of the consecration ceremony of Hindu temples.[1]Kumbha means the Head and denotes theShikhara or Crown of the Temple (usually in thegopuram) andabhisekam orprokshanam is ritual bathing. Kumbhabhishekam is widely celebrated as a festival inSouth India.
On the appointed day and at an auspicious time, theKumbha is bathed with the charged and sanctified holy waters in the sacrificial pot and, by a mystic process, these pranic powers trickle down a silver wire and enter the deity installed inside thesanctum sanctorum of the temple. The deity, which was until then only agranite sculptured stone image, is believed to transform into a vibrant and vivid living representation of thedeva with innate beatitude, grace and grandeur, conferring divine blessings on all devotees.
Ashta means 8 inSanskrit andBandhanam means tying or fixing.Ashtabandhanam is the process of affixing an icon to its pedestal (peetham) with a clay-like paste made of 8 specific herbs mixed with wood lac, limestone powder, resin, red ochre, beeswax and butter. The paste is formed into long rolls about 2 cm thick and applied directly around the base of the icon, so that the cemented joints become watertight. This process is believed to keep the icon rejuvenated for a period of 12 years. When theBandhanam is performed with gold (Swarnabandhanam), the rejuvenating power of the deity is believed to last for a period of 100 years.
The '''Ashtabandhanam' paste is pliable like rubber. Through repeated interactions withabhishekha dravyams - materials used to bathe the icon during daily worship like water, milk, buttermilk, sandal paste and oils - and atmosphericoxidants, the paste loses its flexibility, becomes rigid and gets riddled with a lot of fissures. Through these fissures, theabhisheka dravyams percolate and attack theYantra embedded under thepeetham, obliterating theBijaksharamantras --mantras of sacred syllables (bija) -- that are inscribed on theYantra, and this is believed to contribute to the lowering of the pranic spiritual power of the deity with the passage of time.
