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{{Short description|Hindu religious ceremony}}
{{italic title}}
{{Hinduism}}

'''''Prana pratishtha''''' ({{IAST3|prāṇa pratiṣṭhā}}) is the [[Ritual|rite]] or [[ceremony]] by which a ''[[murti]]'' (devotional image of a deity) 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 ([[mantra]]s) are recited to invite the deity to reside in the ''[[murti]]'' (image).<ref name="elgood14">Heather Elgood (2000), Hinduism and the Religious Arts, Bloomsbury Academic, {{ISBN|978-0304707393}}, pages 14–15, 32–36</ref> 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.<ref name="elgood14"/><ref name="bharne53">V Bharne and K Krusche (2012), Rediscovering the Hindu Temple, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, {{ISBN|978-1443841375}}, page 53</ref>

== Etymology ==
The word ''prāna pratishthā'' is a compound Sanskrit term combining ''prāna'' and ''pratishthā.'' ''Prana'', which comes from the root "''pra''", meaning "to breathe". This term refers to life or vital energy, the essence for living beings.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Monier-Williams |first=Monier |title=Sanskrit-English dictionary: etymologically and philologically arranged with special reference to cognate Indo-European languages |last2=Leumann |first2=Ernst |last3=Capeller |first3=Carl |date=1994 |publisher=Munshiram Manoharlal |isbn=978-81-215-0200-9 |edition=New ed., greatly enl. and improved |location=New Delhi |pages=654}}</ref>

''Pratishtha'', derived from the root verb "''stha''", which means "to be established", and the prefix "''prati''", which means "toward". ''Pratishtha'' signifies the act of consecrating, installation, or establishing in a permanent position. This term typically used in the context of installing a deity in the temples.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Apte |first=Vaman Shivaram |title=The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary: containing appendices on Sanskrit prosody and important literary and geographical names of ancient India |date=1989 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |isbn=978-81-208-0567-5 |edition=4., rev. & enlarged ed., repr |location=Delhi |pages=1079}}</ref>

When the two terms are combined, it refers to the ritual of establishing life force into the ''[[murti]]'' (image) becoming the sacred embodiment of such deity.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gonda |first=Jan |title=The ritual functions and significance of grasses in the religion of the Veda |date=1985 |publisher=North-Holland Publ. Co |isbn=978-0-444-85634-0 |series=Verhandelingen / Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen, Afd. Letterkunde |location=Amsterdam |pages=45}}</ref>

==In Hinduism==

=== Philosophical significance ===
The origins of ''prāna pratishthā'' are rooted in ancient Vedic traditions, where rituals were performed to invoke the divine into objects.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Burrow |first=T. |title=Vedic Ritual: the nonsolemn rites |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/bulletin-of-the-school-of-oriental-and-african-studies/article/abs/j-gonda-vedic-ritual-the-nonsolemn-rites-handbuch-der-orientalistik-2-abt-4-bd-i-abschn-xiv-516-pp-leiden-ejbrill-1980-guilders-148/0165C3A20B6BECD6ED9B485BD0B4AA73 |journal=Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies |language=en |volume=45 |issue=1 |pages=187–188 |doi=10.1017/S0041977X0005477X |issn=1474-0699|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref name="Gonda-1980">{{Cite book |last=Gonda |first=J. |title=Vedic ritual: the non-solemn rites |date=1980 |publisher=E.J. Brill |isbn=978-90-04-06210-8 |series=Handbuch der Orientalistik. Zweite Abteilung, Indien; Religionen |location=Leiden}}</ref> The understanding is that God can be both intrinsic and transcendent and accessible through physical symbols (''[[murti]]s'').<ref>{{Cite book |last=Flood |first=Gavin |title=An introduction to Hinduism |date=2011 |publisher=Cambridge Univ. Press |isbn=978-0-521-43878-0 |edition=15. print |location=Cambridge}}</ref> Through ''pran pratishtha'', devotees can interact with the divine in a personal manner.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Shulman |first=Daṿid |title=Tamil temple myths: sacrifice and divine marriage in the South Indian Śaiva tradition |date=2014 |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=978-0-691-61607-0 |edition=[Repr. d. Ausg.] Princeton, Princeton University Press, 1980 |series=Princeton legacy library |location=Princeton, N.J}}</ref> These practices were meticulously documented in the scriptures such as the [[Agama (Hinduism)|Agamas]] and [[Tantras (Hinduism)|Tantras]] with guidelines on how to perform such rituals.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Davis |first=Richard H. |title=Ritual in an oscillating universe: worshiping Śiva in medieval India |date=1992 |publisher=Princeton Univ. Press |isbn=978-0-691-07386-6 |location=Princeton, NJ}}</ref>

This ritual is most common with temple installations, however, household deities are also consecrated for worship.<ref name="Cort-2001">{{Cite book |last=Cort |first=John E. |title=Jains in the world: religious values and ideology in India |date=2001 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-513234-2 |location=New York}}</ref>

=== Key elements ===
The ''prana pratishtha'' ceremony involves several steps from purification rites to the [[invocation]] of the deity through the steps outlines in the scriptures.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Goudriaan |first=Teun |title=Hindu Tantric and Śākta literature |last2=Gupta |first2=Sanjukta |date=2024 |publisher=Manohar |isbn=978-93-88540-38-4 |edition=Reprint 2021 |series=A history of Indian literature / Series editor Jan Gonda Vol. 2, Epics and Sanskrit religious literature |location=New Delhi}}</ref>
# Purification (''Shuddhi'') - the ''[[murti]]'' is cleansed and purified to remove impurities.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bühnemann |first=Gudrun |title=Pūjā: a study in Smārta ritual |date=1988 |publisher=Inst. f. Indologie d. Univ. Wien, Sammlung De Nobili |isbn=978-3-900271-18-3 |series=Publications of the De Nobili Research Library |location=Vienna}}</ref>
# Invocation (''Avahana'') - the deity is invoked into the ''murti'' through specific mantras and rituals prescribed in the scriptures.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Padoux |first=André |title=Vāc: the concept of the word in selected Hindu Tantras |date=1990 |publisher=State University of New York Press |isbn=978-0-7914-0257-3 |series=The SUNY series in the Shaiva traditions of Kashmir |location=Albany}}</ref>
# Infusion of life (''Prana pratishtha'') - this is the core of the ritual where ''pran'' is put into the ''murti'' through various mantras.<ref name="Gonda-1980" />
# Offerings (''Upachara'') - they deity is offered items such as flowers, fruits, and incense, symbolizing sustenance for the divine in the ''murti''.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Michaels |first=Axel |title=Hinduism: past and present |last2=Harshav |first2=Barbara |last3=Michaels |first3=Axel |last4=Michaels |first4=Axel |date=2004 |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=978-0-691-08953-9 |location=Princeton, N.J. Oxford}}</ref>

==In Jainism==

=== Concept ===
In Jainism, performing ''prana pratishtha'' in Jain temples is symbolic of the ideal qualities of the Tirthankaras rather than a divine presence.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Shah |first=Umakant Premanand |title=Jaina-rūpa-maṇḍana =: Jaina iconography |date=1987 |publisher=Abhinav Publications |isbn=978-81-7017-218-5 |location=New Delhi}}</ref> ''Prana'' refers to the vital energy in all living beings emphasizing the principle of non-violence (ahimsa) towards all life forms.<ref name="Dundas-2002">{{Cite book |last=Dundas |first=Paul |title=The Jains |date=2002 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-415-26605-5 |edition=2nd |series=Library of religious beliefs and practices |location=London; New York}}</ref> Thus, the focus of ''prana pratishtha'' is invoking a spiritual presence to inspire devotees.<ref name="Cort-2001" />

=== Philosophical significance ===
The philosophical foundation of ''prana pratishtha'' in Jainism is rooted in [[anekantavada]]. Depending on the observer's spiritual views, the physical image can represent multiple meanings.<ref name="Dundas-2002" />

The focus of the ritual is solely on mental and physical purity derived from the non-violence principle.<ref name="Cort-2001" />

=== Ritual process ===
The ritual begins where the image is bathed, purified, and adorned with sacred items. Following this, verses are recited and other ritual invocations occur.<ref name="lisaowen44">Lisa Owen (2012), Carving Devotion in the Jain Caves at Ellora, BRILL, {{ISBN|978-9004206298}}, pages 44, 146–147, 184–186</ref> The ritual of consecrating an image to bring "life to temple" is attested in medieval Jain documents.<ref name="lisaowen44" />

== References ==
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{{Worship in Hinduism}}
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[[Category:Rituals in Hindu worship]]

Prana pratishtha - Revision history

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