Agni Purana — Vastu-Pratishtha & Isana-kalpa, Shloka 33
Chapter 61 — द्वारप्रतिष्ठाध्वजारोहाणादिविधिः
Gateway Installation, Flag Hoisting, and Allied Rites
क्षौमाद्यैश् च ध्वजं कुर्याद्विचित्रं वैकवर्णकं घण्टाचामरकिङ्किण्या भूषितं पापनाशनं
kṣaumādyaiś ca dhvajaṃ kuryādvicitraṃ vaikavarṇakaṃ ghaṇṭācāmarakiṅkiṇyā bhūṣitaṃ pāpanāśanaṃ
On doit fabriquer une bannière avec du lin et des étoffes semblables, bigarrée et de couleurs variées, puis l’orner d’une cloche, d’un éventail en queue de yak (cāmara) et de petites clochettes tintantes ; une telle bannière est destructrice de péché.
Lord Agni (narrating to the sage Vasiṣṭha, as per the common Agni Purāṇa dialogue frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Puja-vidhi","secondary_vidya":"Shilpa","practical_application":"Designing and ritually adorning a temple/processional dhvaja (banner) with prescribed materials and auspicious ornaments for merit and sin-removal.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Dhvaja-nirmāṇa: cloth, colors, and auspicious ornaments","lookup_keywords":["dhvaja","kṣauma (linen)","ghaṇṭā","cāmara","kiṅkiṇī"],"quick_summary":"Make the ritual banner from linen-like cloth, multi-colored, and ornament it with bell, yak-tail fan, and tinkling bells; such a dhvaja is treated as a sin-destroying auspicious implement."}
Concept: External ritual purity and auspicious symbolism (maṅgala-lakṣaṇa) are treated as dharma-producing and pāpa-hara.
Application: Use prescribed materials and ornaments in temple implements to align ritual with śāstric maṅgala norms.
Khanda Section: Puja-vidhi (Dhvaja-lakshana and ritual adornments)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Artisans and priests prepare a multi-colored linen banner, attaching a bell, a yak-tail fan, and strings of small tinkling bells; the banner is displayed as an auspicious, sin-removing ritual object.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala temple mural style, flat vibrant colors, priest and artisan adorning a dhvaja with ghaṇṭā and kiṅkiṇī, cāmara hanging, temple courtyard, sacred lamps, stylized ornamentation","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, rich reds and greens, gold-leaf highlights on bell and ornaments, ornate dhvaja cloth patterns, temple pillars, devotional auspicious composition","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, delicate linework, instructional depiction of dhvaja components (cloth, bell, cāmara, kiṅkiṇī) arranged stepwise, soft palette, minimal background temple setting","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, detailed textile patterns on variegated banner, craftsmen attaching bells, courtly precision, architectural backdrop of a temple gateway, fine brushwork"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: कुर्याद्विचित्रम् = कुर्यात् + विचित्रम्; घण्टाचामरकिङ्किण्या = घण्टा + चामर + किṅकिṇyā (समास/संयोग).
Related Themes: Agni Purana 61 (dhvaja-lakṣaṇa and pūjā-vidhi context)
FAQs
It prescribes the correct materials and ritual adornments for making a dhvaja (temple/ritual banner)—linen-type cloth, multicolored design, and ornaments like a bell, cāmara, and kiṅkiṇīs.
It illustrates the Agni Purāṇa’s practical ritual-technology: not only theology, but also precise specifications for worship implements and temple/puja aesthetics (materials, colors, and accessories).
The verse explicitly states that a properly made and adorned dhvaja is pāpa-nāśana—its correct ritual construction is held to generate purification and reduce demerit.