Brass Annapurna Devi Idol - 3 Inch Murti

• The 3 inch Annapurna — The larger of the two sizes, with the height to serve as the central figure of a mandir shelf rather than a kitchen ledge piece.
• The goddess of food — Annapurna is shown with the ladle and the vessel of rice, the one major Hindu deity defined entirely by feeding.
• Detail at the larger scale — The ladle, the anna-patra, the jewellery and the seated posture all read clearly at 3 inches, where they are compressed at 2.4.
• Worshipped in the kitchen — Traditionally installed by households that wish never to see the kitchen empty or a guest turned away.
• Annapurna Jayanti and Navratri — The occasions on which she is formally worshipped, and a common wedding or housewarming gift.

• Annapurna is kept in or beside the kitchen, which is unusual among deity idols. The east or north wall of the kitchen is the traditional position.
• Face her east or north. The cook traditionally faces east while cooking, and she is placed so that both look the same way.
• If she is kept in the mandir instead, the north-east is the usual quarter; at 3 inches she has the presence to hold the centre of a shelf.
• Do not place her directly above the hob, beside the sink, next to the bin, or on a shelf where cleaning cloths and detergents are kept.
• Kitchen brass takes on cooking vapour and darkens faster than mandir brass. Wipe her weekly with a dry cloth; the darker tone is normal and is often left as it is.

1. 1. Wash the murti in clean water and then panchamrit before first placement, rinse it and dry it completely.
2. 2. Set her on a clean cloth on a raised kitchen shelf or on the mandir chowki, and light a ghee lamp to her right.
3. 3. Offer the first portion of the day's cooked rice before it is served to anyone. This is the offering particular to Annapurna.
4. 4. Add haldi, kumkum, unbroken rice grains and white or yellow flowers.
5. 5. Chant Om Annapurnayai Namah, traditionally 108 times. Households that keep a longer practice recite the Annapurna Stotram attributed to Adi Shankara.
6. 6. Annapurna Jayanti, on the full moon of Margashirsha, is her principal day. Conclude with the aarti and serve the offered food as prasad to the household.

Annapurna is the form of Parvati who holds the ladle and the anna-patra, the pot of cooked food, and her name means simply the one who is filled with food. The Kashi tradition relates that Shiva, having declared the material world an illusion, was left to beg at Varanasi and accepted alms from her hand, which is why she is regarded there as the mistress of the city. She is one of the few deities whose worship is conducted in the kitchen, and the offering made to her is the day's first serving of rice.

• Material100 per cent brass
• Height3 inches
• WeightHand-cast solid brass; weight varies slightly between pieces
• FinishPolished golden brass that darkens with kitchen vapour and lamp smoke
• Deity and formAnnapurna Devi, seated with the ladle and the vessel of rice
• CraftHand-cast and hand-finished in India
• Suitable forKitchen shelf, dining room, home mandir, wedding and housewarming gifting

Colour and texture vary slightly from piece to piece — every bead and stone is natural and one of a kind.

Keep away from water, perfume and harsh chemicals. Wipe gently with a soft dry cloth. Store in the pouch or box provided when not in use.

Presented in a sturdy gift box with protective foam, made for safe delivery and for gifting.

7-day returns. Contact us with your order number and we will guide you through it. Please keep the product in its original condition.