Ancient Hindu scriptural texts of agamas are said to prescribe Punarutharana Kumbhabishekam
(restorative consecration) to be performed to re-energise periodically the deities in the temple, as the power
of the Deities is believed to wane gradually with time. Like everything else in Hindu religious traditions, the grand
and elaborate ceremony has a dual purpose: it is as much about revitalising the Divine aura of the temple with
all-round repairs and additions, as about recharging deep devotion in the community which may be waning
with the routinness of the tasks of running the temple over the years. At the centre is the philosophy
that the outer manifestation of the temple and its images (vigraha) is none other than divinity pulsating
within the souls of all devotees. The purpose of all rituals is to reinforce the identity.
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