What is "abhisheka"

n. (context South Asia English) A ceremony in India involving ritual washing, cleansing or anointing. (from 19th c.)

Abhisheka or Abhishekam ( Devanagari: अभिषेक ) is a Sanskrit term akin to puja, yagya and arati that denotes: a devotional activity; an enacted prayer, rite of passage and/or religious rite or ritual. Within this range of senses, abhiṣeka is common to all Dharmic faiths such as Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism.