Clothes and ornaments for deity worship

The towels for drying the Lord should be pure, soft cotton. Cotton is better than silk because it is absorbent and can be washed repeatedly. Do not use synthetic clothes. Cotton flannelette is suitable for this purpose. It remains soft even after washing many times. It also dries quickly so that if it is washed and rinsed one day it is dry the next day ready for the worship. Always wash and dry new cloth before using for your deities.

The Lord should be dressed in upper and lower cloth that is durable, soft (not scratchy), clean, untorn, never worn by others, scented, and of variegated colors. The scriptures allow for various local styles in dressing the Lord, but traditional dressing, like traditional cooking, is very dear to Him. All colors may be utilized just suitable to your scheme. Synthetic fabric is allowable for deity dresses, although natural fabrics such as silk and cotton are best. The deities should be dressed in clothing suitable to the season – warm clothing in the cold season, light in the hot season. Dressing deities according to season is prominent in traditional temples in Vrndavana. Srila Prabhupada was displeased when devotees failed to dress the deities in clothing suitable to the weather, “It is not at all good that the deities do not have warm clothing for the cold weather.”

Since precious metals and precious stones attract thieves, Srila Prabhupada instructed devotees to decorate deities with synthetic jewellery. However, semi-precious stones and silver generally may be used, with due consideration for protection of the deities and Their paraphernalia from thieves.