Avahan

Published on 16th February, 2020, in Mumbai Mirror Objects of art are part of our day-to-day lives. Displayed in showcases, they lend beauty to the places we live in. Objects of worship are different: they are channels to access the divine. Both may have images of gods and goddesses, but they are treated differently. What makes the difference? In order to become an object of worship, a special ritual has to be conducted that involves ‘avahan’ (invitation), where the divinity is invited to occupy the object of art. Through this ritual, also known as ‘prana-pratishtha’ (placement of life force) or ‘chakshudaan’ (granting the eye), the ..