Arati

A'rati' an important part of Hindu ritual in which lighted lamps and other objects are moved with beautiful, rhythmic gestures before the representation of a deity. The objects commonly used in arati are lamps, camphor lamps, panchapradipa (a cluster of five lamps), conch shells, cloth, gamchha (handloom towel), a small bunch of mango leaves, flowers, fans, aromatic substances, etc. The ritual ends with the worshipper lying prostrate before the image, signifying total surrender. The performance is accompanied with blowing of conch shells, playing of drums and striking of bell metal plates, chanting of mantras or devotional songs. [Anjalika Mukhopadhyay] [Mukhopadhyay, Anjalika Muralidhar Girls' College, Kolkata]