sthapana

Sthapana is a Sanskrit term meaning installation or establishment. In Hindu ritual and temple practice, sthapana refers to the installation of a deity's image, form, or sacred space within a temple, shrine, or home altar. The word derives from sthā, to place or establish. In temple contexts, sthapana is typically part of a larger consecration ceremony, often called prana pratistha, in which the deity is regarded as a living presence in the sanctum. The ritual can involve purification rites, ceremonial bathes or abhiseka, drawings of sacred diagrams, offerings, and the recitation of mantras by a qualified priest. The precise procedures and mantras vary by tradition, such as Shaiva, Vaishnava, and Shakta rites, and by regional custom, but the objective is consistent: to consecrate the image and sanctify the space for divine presence and worship.

Sthapana is also performed when a new temple is built or an idol is installed in a home shrine, marking the transfer of divine presence from the spiritual to the manifested realm. In home settings, the rites are usually smaller in scale but center on proper placement, orientation, and invocation of the deity.

In modern usage, sthapana can refer broadly to any installation or establishment of a sacred image or space, and it is closely associated with rituals that energize and sanctify a murti (idol) and its surroundings.