| The ordinary or
routine worship and service of the god takes place five times a day. The routine begins
with the Kakad arati early morning. The god is awakened, his feet are washed, sandal-paste
is applied and incense, camphor etc. are burnt while the arati is being sung. The next
session is the panchamrit-puja when the clothes and ornaments of the previous day are
removed, the image is bathed in the five ‘amrits' then bathed with clean water,
draped in new clothes and other rituals included in the‘shoda shopacharas' are
performed. The afternoon worship mainly consists of the offering of the naivedya. About
three in the afternoon and a little earlier on holidays, comes the dressing or 'poshakha'.
The priestsremove the old sandal-paste marks, wash the face, and apply fresh sandal-paste.
The old clothes are taken away and new one are placed on the images. Scented oil is
applied to the face and naivedya isoffered. On
holidays and festival occasions costly ornaments are put on, and the dress, the pagdi or
the headgear, the dhoti and uttariya are all of thin plate of gold. After the god is
dressed it is open for darshan to all. The next puja is the dhupa-arati, an arati sung
with incense burning. The last daily rite is the shejarati, which takes place at ten
o'clock or even at twelve on holidays. Almost all the officiating staff of the priests is
present for the arati. The image is never removed and as such is never literally placed on
a bed, although the necessary furnishings are there. Instead a very interesting procedure
is followed. A member of the Dingre folks, a class of hereditary servants of the god,
sprinkles water on the floor between the pedestal and the bedchamber and sweeps it. |
