Darshan is from the Sanskrit root drish, “to see.” It refers to a most important element of Hindu-ism—the eye-to-eye contact between an iconic divinity (see ICONS) or a divine personage (e.g., AMRITANANDAMAYI MA, SAT YA SAI BABA) and the devotee or worshipper. Darshan can by itself confer grace upon a seeker and result in spiritual benefit. So, Hindus eagerly visit temples as well as divine persons for darshan. If during a festival an icon is paraded through the streets, everyone vies to catch sight of it, to receive its glance and grace. No icon in the form of a person is considered an active divinity until the ritual opening of its eyes.
Further reading: Diana Eck, Darsan: Seeing the Divine Image in India, 3d ed. (New York: Columbia University Press, 1998).
Encyclopedia of Hinduism. A. Jones and James D. Ryan. 2007.