There are two murtis of Lakshmi seen here. The larger one in the back is made of south indian green granite which turns a beautiful dark black when sesame oil is applied to it. The brass statue in the foreground is called an utsava murti. It is used in temple celebrations and can be moved out of the temple sanctum whenever needed. The alrger murti weighs many hundreds of pounds and is never moved!
Here the priest is offering a little camphor light during one of the initial pujas.
Many gallons of milk are used to pour over the murtis during the abishekam. The tradition is that an abishekam is performed to purify and enliven the temple.
Sandalwood is very finely ground up and mixed with various scents. When it is mixed with water and a little rosewater the temple smells amazingly fragrant.
After all the ingredients are poured over the murtis, they are carefully dried and dressed in new silk sari's with beautiful fresh flower malas made of jasmine and carnations. You can see that she wears all sorts of gold and a tall crown in the style of south india. Her hands are covered with metal "raksha"; armour. Her right hand is help upright in the sign of protection, and her left hand points downward in the sign of blessing or granting wishes.
Even the smaller utsava deity is dressed in a sari. Although the murti is only a couple feet in height, it still take a full 7-8 yards of cloth to dress her!
By the end of the evening Lakshmi is fully refreshed and seems very powerful. Note the pink lotus flowers arranged around her.
