Thread by @PankajSaxena84

1. Can Prana Pratishtha be done before the temple is completely built?

A misconception is doing rounds about prana pratishtha of Shri Rama Temple at Ayodhya. It is said that prana pratishtha can’t be done before temple is complete. That's not true.

#RamMandirPranPratishta

2. Firstly, the core essence of temple building that one gets from studying any Agama is that the temple is built around the deity, not the other way around. The kṣetra radiates from the brahmasthana which is decided upon the vastupurusha sthapana.

3. Secondly, as the great temple expert, iconographist and Puranic scholar @artist_rama said, prana pratishtha can be done anytime after the garbha-griha is ready. Completion of the entire superstructure is not necessary.

4. No Agama prohibits prana pratishtha before the entire temple is complete. There are many examples where temples were consecrated before the entire temple was complete. As @tskrishnan gave examples of Shri Padmanabha, Shri Ranganatha and Shri Brihadeeswar temples.

@tskrishnan 5. In fact, it is easier, as @artist_rama says, to palce the kalasha above if the vigraha is already there. And this has happened a lot of times. There are many more examples.

@tskrishnan @artist_rama 6. Matangeshvara temple, Khajuraho, is a testimony since the Śiva Lingam is much bigger than temple gates and thus for sure, it was the vigraha which was consecrated first and then the temple was built around it. It couldn’t have passed the gates after the temple was built.

@tskrishnan @artist_rama 7. Bhaskaresvhara temple in Bhubaneswar is a two storeyed temple with an unusual pidha deula śikhara (usually reserved for mandapas). The Śiva Linga inside is two storey big and the only way that happened is to consecrate the vigraha first and then build the temple around it.

@tskrishnan @artist_rama 8. Shri Ulgalanda Perumala temple dedicated to the Trivikrama svaroopa of the deity also houses a vigraha which is much bigger than the temple gate. As a lot of Dravida temples have stone walls and brick superstructure, this could have been the sequence as follows:

@tskrishnan @artist_rama 9. First they partially built the garbha-griha walls except one and then created and consecrated the vigraha first. And after that built the super structure and the remaining wall.

@tskrishnan @artist_rama 10. Rock cut temples are also a testimony to that. Most of the rock cut temples are excavated top down. In that case that part of the temple is built first which is higher, so jagati and adhisthana of the temple emerge later, far after the vigraha emerges and is consecrated.

@tskrishnan @artist_rama 11. Many more temples built by the Hoysalas and Chalukyas, which are still living and always were, have parts of their śikhara incomplete. None of that stopped the devotees to consecrate the vigraha in the garbha-griha and start worshipping.

@tskrishnan @artist_rama 12. So it is entirely possible to do prana pratishtha before completing the temple first. Let us pour our bhakti into the cosmic event that is going to take place on 22nd January 2024.

From here, We, the Hindus, ascend.