Murti

Uncommon card · No. 195916

In the Hindu tradition, a murti (Sanskrit: मूर्ति, romanized: mūrti, lit. 'statue, sculpture, form, embodiment, or solid object') is a devotional image, such as a statue or icon, of a deity or saint used during puja and/or in other customary forms of actively expressing bhakti or reverence – whether at Hindu temples or shrines. A mūrti is a sacred image or embodiment of a deity and is worshipped for devotional activities. Thus, not all icons of gods and saints are mūrti; for example, purely decorative depictions of divine figures often adorn Hindu temple architecture in intricately carved doorframes, on colourfully painted walls, and ornately sculpted rooftop domes. Different Hindu traditions understand the nature of the murti differently. Some regard it as a symbolic representation or embodiment of the divine, while others hold that, following consecration (prāṇa pratiṣṭhā), god is truly present in the murti and receives worship directly through it. Murti are also found in some nontheistic...

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