Hindus come to a temple for a "darshan", or seeing the face of God. Hinduism is of course a religion of many currents, for ascetics this darshan is achieved after a long meditation, but for ordinary people it is a visit in a temple to see a face of a figure. This is what the figure is there for. There is a special ceremony, analogous to the Catholic transfiguration, after which it becomes a body of God, very much like the Catholic host. It is not eaten but treated like a host in a monstrance. The priests treat this figure as a living being, they wash it, bring meals to it, put to bed. Which is a bit similar to figures of saints in Latin countries, where the figures are clad, and the clothing is regularly changed and washed.
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