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In the Hindu tradition, a murti (Sanskrit: मूर्ति, romanized: mūrti, lit. ' form, embodiment, or solid object ') [1] is a devotional image, such as a statue or icon, of a deity or saint [2] used during puja and/or in other customary forms of actively expressing devotion or reverence - whether at Hindu temples or shrines.
Garbhagriha (lit. womb chamber) is a Sanskrit word referring to the interior of the sanctum sanctorum, the innermost sanctum of a Hindu temple, where resides the murti (idol or icon) of the primary deity of the temple. The sanctum is located at the centre of the temple, and its only opening mostly faces east.
Purification (Shuddhi) - the murti is cleansed and purified to remove impurities. [13] Invocation (Avahana) - the deity is invoked into the murti through specific mantras and rituals prescribed in the scriptures. [14] Infusion of life (Prana pratishtha) - this is the core of the ritual where pran is put into the murti through various mantras. [7]
A murti in Hinduism, states Jeaneane Fowler – a professor of Religious Studies specializing on Indian Religions, is itself not god, it is an "image of god" and thus a symbol and representation. [8] A murti is a form and manifestation, states Fowler, of the formless Absolute. [ 8 ]
In a Hindu temple, the term refers to viewing the garbhagriha 'inner sanctum' of the temple, which hosts the murti 'image of a god'. Devotees taking darshana of the god Vishnu in the inner sanctum of the Chennakeshava Temple, Belur.
In Hinduism, a murti is an embodiment of the divine, the Ultimate Reality or Brahman. In religious context, murtis are found in Hindu temples or homes, where they may be treated as a beloved guest and serve as a participant of Puja rituals in Hinduism. A murti is installed by priests, in Hindu temples, through the Prana Pratishtha ceremony. [1]
The murti of the deity is ritually and symmetrically positioned at the center of the garbhagriha shrine, and represents the "axis mundi", the axis about which the world is oriented, and which connects heaven and earth. [16] [17] This symmetry highlights the principal axes underlying the temple.
Bhakti ideas have inspired many popular texts and saint-poets in India. The Bhagavata Purana, for example, is a Krishna-related text associated with the Bhakti movement in Hinduism. [13] Bhakti is also found in other religions practiced in India, [14] [15] [16] and it has influenced interactions between Christianity and Hinduism in the modern era.