Prana Pratishtha

Prana pratistha refers to the rite or ceremony by which a murti (image of a god) is consecrated in a Hindu temple, wherein hymns and mantra are recited to invite the deity to be resident guest, and the idol's eye is opened for the first time. This ritual is practiced in the temples of Hinduism and Jainism. The ritual is considered by these Indian religions to have infused life into the temple, and brought numinous presence of divinity and spirituality to the temple.

According to Gavin Flood, "A ritual of consecration in which the consciousness or power of the deity is brought into the image awakens the icon in a temple." The ceremony, states Heather Elgood, marks the recognition of the image of god to represent "a particle of the divine whole, the divine perceived not in man's image as a separate entity but as a formless, indescribable omnipresent whole", with the divine presence a reminder of its transcendence and to be beheld in one's inner thoughts during darśana in the temple.