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Home > Temples of Kerala > nirmaalya darsana Nirmaalya darsanaThe chief priest, sometimes the Thanthri himself, after his deha-suddhi including a plunge bath, preferably in a river or in the temple tank, reaches the garbha-dwaara and rings the bell-metal bells hung up on either side of the garbha-dwaara. The ringing of bells is for seeking permission of Dwaasthhas and the deity for entering the sanctum. After opening the doors the inside lights are lit for a clearer vision of the deity. Divine worship of the idol at this stage, known as nirmaalya darsana, is considered very auspicious, as it is the moment of the first sight after nidra-samaadhi of the deity. It is believed that the deity has full power at that time. Then the priest removes the nirmaalyam (remnants of previous day's offering such as flowers, garlands and other decorations like cloth, sandal paste etc) and the entire garbha-grha is cleaned with pure water drawn either from the temple well or kokkarani. Non-removal of nirmaalya is treated as a defective action and it is believed may cause displeasure of the deity. Further the same flowers should not be used again. It is also necessary that the flowers brought by devotees or temple staff have to be sprinkled with holy water by the priest before use. Flowers which are smelt either by priests or anyone should not be taken for decorating the idol or used for pooja purposes.
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