Page:South-Indian Images of Gods and Goddesses.djvu/27

Rh so on. Crowns and other rich and costly jewellery, set with gems and pearls (fig. 4), and often presented by Rājas and Chieftains or other rich devotees, are a special pride of the wealthier temples.

The Brāhmana priest is to purify himself by bath and prayers early morning, and then open the doors of the sanctum and gently wake up the god, who is supposed to be sleeping, by chanting appropriate hymns in his praise. Then, after duly worshipping the guardian deities, he washes the feet of the chief deity, bathes the image, clothes it properly, decorates it with the usual jewellery, sandal and flowers, waving incense and lamps of diverse pattern (fig. 5) in front of the god and finally offering him the cooked food or naivēdyam and the final betel leaf and nut. At stated intervals the god comes out in procession and perhaps sees to the comfort of his attendant deities. Usually there is an important annual festival, representing in some cases the marriage of the god or some other special event in the doings of the god registered in local chronicles or Purānas. On such occasions the procession is carried on different vehicles, both common and special, the latter being such as the kalpa-vriksha, the wish-giving celestial tree or the kāmadhēnu, the wish-giving celestial cow, or the mythic animal gandabhērunda. The most important procession will generally be the car festival when the god goes round in the huge car through the main streets where his worshippers live and receives worship and offerings at their very homes.

In the temples dedicated to the village deities the ceremonial is not much different. Brāhmanas however rarely officiate and animal sacrifices are generally offered, especially when the village is threatened with an epidemic or with serious scarcity or famine. Vedic incantations are not uttered in these temples.

With this brief general description of the temple, we can now proceed to study the various images which are found represented in them.