Vibhuti - Sacred Ash
April 16, 2007
Vibhuti is the sacred ash associated with Shiva and every now and then at the end of an abishekam it is sprinkled over either Ganesha or a Shivalingam. Note that the priests have carefully cleared away Ganesha’s eyes, so that he can “see”. Notice that they have also added a dot of red kumkum on his forehead. Next in the abishekam process they will offer a couple of pieces of fruit and burn some camphor while chanting a few mantras. Then the vibhuti will be rinsed off.
One of the reasons that I love this photo is that it looks like Ganesha is covered in snow.