An abhisheka is a religious bathing ceremony. The word abhisheka means a sprinkling. It is derived from the root sic, to wet, and with the prefix abhi,“around,” abhisheka is literally, “wetting around.” An abhisheka is the bathing part of a puja that usually is done with sacred water. In puja, a Deity is called, seated, greeted, bathed, dressed, fed and praised. The bathing of the Deity is the abhisheka part of the puja. In some cases, the main focus of the puja is the bathing ceremony itself. This is especially the case with the worship of the Shiva Linga or the famous South Indian form of Vishnu known as Balaji. During an elaborate bathing ceremony a Deity is bathed not only in water, but also with milk, yogurt, butter milk, honey, clarified butter, sugar, and all kinds of fruit juices. After this bathing, the sacred image is dressed, ornamented, fed and praised with hymns accompanied with bells, drums and other instruments.