cult image
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A cult image is a human-made object—such as a statue or icon—that people venerate because they believe it represents a deity, spirit, or supernatural being. These objects matter because they serve as focal points for religious devotion and worship across many cultures and historical periods.
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6th-century stone murti of the Hindu god Shiva
In the practice of religion, a cult image is a human-made object that is venerated or worshipped for the person, deity, spirit, or daemon that it embodies or represents. In several traditions, including the ancient religions of Egypt, Greece, Rome and India, cult images in a temple may undergo a daily routine of being washed, dressed, and having food left for them. Processions outside the temple on special feast days are often a feature. Religious images cover a wider range of all types of images made with a religious purpose, subject, or connection. In many contexts "cult image" specifically means the most important image in a temple, kept in an inner space, as opposed to what may be many other images decorating the temple.