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
พึงทำธงจากผ้าลินินและผ้าประเภทเดียวกัน ให้มีลวดลายและหลากสี แล้วประดับด้วยกระดิ่ง พัดหางจามระ และกระดิ่งเล็ก ๆ ธงเช่นนี้เป็นเครื่องทำลายบาป.
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.