tIrthAbhiSekam saphalam (was Re: Potalaka)

[Dominique.Thillaud]

At 18:22 +0100 28/11/97, DEVARAKONDA VENKATA NARAYANA SARMA wrote:

>Northerns and MahArASTrians call the deity `bAlAji'. This is perhaps because
>the deity was identified as the Godess bAlAtripurasundari atleast for
>sometime. The ceremonial bath of the idol (abhiSEka) on friday supports this
>view. Friday is a special day for devotees of dEvi.

        I believed abhiSEka, beeing from sic-, just a light aspersion of
few drops to consecrate (especially a king). A bath seems slightly
different and, if you can give me a good reference, I would like to know
special circumstances of such a ceremony (procession ? place of the bath ?
danger to see the Goddess in His nudity ?).
        Interresting for me is too the name choosen to honour the Goddess
because I don't understand well the part 'tripura' in this context. There
is an itihasa to explain it ?
        Merci d'avance,
Dominique

Dominique THILLAUD
Universite' de Nice Sophia-Antipolis, France