Signs in the Gods, Gods in the Pots

Reviewing ongoing debates about the origins of image worship in the study of Hinduism, this chapter investigates the transfer of the Vedic-astrological royal cult to the Hindu cult of the image, through an analysis of some of the earliest available ritual prescriptions for image installation (pratiṣṭhā) and image worship (pūjā). It reviews our earliest mention of permanent images in divination literature, and examines how, in the astrological view, images could serve as loci for the manifestation of omens. It then details the adaptation of techniques for preparing mantra-based aspersion waters in the installation of images, and how aspersion rituals were harmonized with regular image worship. The chapter also raises the possibility that techniques from this ritual history could have influenced elements of the design of the classical Hindu temple. These arguments support the overarching claim that temple images serve as a ritual substitute for the body of the king.