Page 37 - Amrit Varta - Issue Feb. 2023 - English

Vol. 27, No.1, February 2023 MA ANANDAMAYEE AMRIT VARTA 27

Annapurna’s Idol, it becomes clear to everyone that Ma Annapurna is just
another form of Shree Shree Ma Anandamayee.
Ma Annapurna’s bhog
The next day on Ma’s instructions several devotees prepared bhog (meals)
for Ma Annapurna and the other Idols in the new kitchen built for this purpose.
For cooking bhog several Chula (earthen stoves) were lit by the fire taken
from the new Yagna-kund in front of the Temple. In the meantime, yagna was
started in the Yagna-kund using one lakh bel leaves. Choru (a special rice-milk
pudding used for bhog) was cooked utilizing fourteen to fifteen litres of milk.
A little from that was offered to the yagna-kund and the rest was offered to the
Idols.
Installation of Panchavati
Ma got a beautiful Panchavati (garden of five banyan trees) constructed in
the Ashram on this special occasion.
Fabrication and installation of Ashta-dhatu Idols
In order to have darshan of the Idols, devotees had to stand in the verandah
outside the room in which these Gods were kept and hence they could not
observe the silver white Idols clearly. Hence Bhaiji decided to construct these
Idols with Ashta-dhâtu (alloy of eight metals). He started collecting funds for
it and in the meantime he also obtained some of his personal funds. Very soon
he had collected enough funds. With these and with Ma’s ornaments he placed
orders for the fabrication of all the Idols according to Ma’s proper instructions.
The metal in this alloy which would give more luster to the Idols was utilized in
a larger proportion. Ma along with Baba Bholanath and Bhaiji regularly visited
Janaki the sculptor for advising and inspecting the fabrication of the Idols.
It is worth noting here that the sculptor who fabricated both the silver and
the ashtadhâtu Idols did not make any other idols after this. He had died after
completing the ashtadhâtu Idols.
Except for Giriji’s idol, we are not aware of any other Idol of our Ashram
that has been so meticulously and thoroughly constructed with Ma’s kheyâl,
with Ma repeatedly advising the sculptor, than this set of Idols of Ma Annapurna,
Shiva, Ma Kali and Narayan.
In 1932, during Ma’s Janmotsav, these Ashtadhâtu Idols of Ma Annapurna,
Shiva, Ma Kali and Narayan were installed in the Annapurna Temple in the
Ramna Ashram replacing the silver ones.
The installation program commenced on the midnight of the last day of the
Janmotsav festival. On Ma’s direction, the immersion of the year old set of