Ashta means 8 in Sanskrit and Bandhanam means tying or fixing. Ashtabandhanam is the process of affixing an icon to its pedestal (peetham) with a clay-like paste made of 8 specific herbs mixed with wood lac, limestone powder, resin, red ochre, beeswax and butter. This finds use mainly in kumbhabhishekam rituals in temples for the presiding deity. It can also be used in various ways, such as applying it to the forehead, hands, and feet as a mark of ritual purity, or sprinkling it around the house to purify the environment