This is an 'achamani' or ceremonial spoon, which is used along with other ritual articles for daily puja (worship) at home as well as in temples. The handle of the spoon is usually decorated with mythical figures or deities, in this case, Krishna on Kaliya. Every ritual article is purified by using the achamani to draw water from a water container called the 'pancha patiram' (see 1995-03382).
