pranapratistha

Pranapratistha, sometimes transliterated pranapratistha (Sanskrit: prāṇapratisthā), is a Hindu ritual for infusing a consecrated statue or image (murti) with life energy so that it can serve as a dwelling for a deity within a temple or sacred space. The term combines prāṇa, "life breath," and pratishthā or pratisthā, "establishment" or "installation." In temple practice, pranapratistha is central to consecration ceremonies that transform a sculpture or image into a living deity, enabling the worshipper to offer darśana and puja to the divine presence it houses.

The rite is described in classical iconography and temple-service texts such as the Shilpa Shastra and the agamic traditions, and is observed across major Hindu sects—Vaishnava, Shaiva, Shakta, and Smarta—with local variations in mantras and procedures.

Typically, the ceremony is performed by a qualified priest and may involve purification rites, the recitation of mantras, the invocation of the deity, the anointing or placement of sacred substances on the statue, and offerings. The successful invocation, many practitioners believe, infuses the image with prana, enabling it to receive worship as the deity’s visible form. The practice requires ongoing reverence, daily worship, and periodic renewal of the consecration as part of temple routine.

In scholarly discussions, pranapratistha is treated as a key concept in Hindu ritual theory and iconography, illustrating the conviction that murti are not mere representations but dwelling places of the divine presence.