Originally Posted by
Eastern Mind
Vannakkam and welcome back. Yes the deity is ceremoniously moved in what is called a balastapanam ceremony. The priests ritually move the entire deity into a kumbham, where it stays for the length of the move, and then they put the energy back into the deity in the new place or residence. We moved the temple here acouple of times, and it is quite elaborate. For kumbabhishekhams, the 12 year cleansing ritual, they do the same ceremony, move the deities out to the temporary yagasala (usually a tent outside) for a few days before taking it(often them) back in.
If you get the opportunity to witness, and have the opportunity to participate in any way, you'll get the idea. Quite a few interesting things happen. For example, deities get to touch the murthy (often oiling it) while the real deity is absent. Hope you get to enjoy this.
Aum Namasivaya
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