September 30 2013 - Nithyanandapedia

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September 30 2013

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September 30 2013

September 30 2013

A night-time homa at an outdoor ashram setting. A large yellow-painted fire pit burns brightly in the foreground, with lemons placed around its rim and bundled sticks feeding the flames. Behind it, a young man in white dhoti and shawl, wearing a green head cloth, a gold necklace and red-and-gold armbands, raises a metal lamp with a flame high in one hand. Around the fire, several young men in saffron-orange cloths and rudraksha-style beaded necklaces sit with white painted markings on their faces and arms; one has hands folded in prayer and another sits behind a microphone stand. Two onlookers in white stand in the background near a wooden pillar.

November 04 2013

A night homa ritual beside a brick fire pit with a bright flame, lined with yellow-painted edges. A young boy seated on a low wooden seat with a patterned cloth, wearing orange saffron cloth and a rudraksha mala, white body markings on his arms and chest, looks toward the fire. Beside him, a shaved-headed boy in orange and rudraksha malas sits on the floor pouring offerings, while another boy in orange with a tilak holds a bowl. Brass bowls of offerings, a bundle of sticks and a lamp sit in front. A young attendant in an orange turban and multiple malas holds a tray of herbs and offerings. Lamps and a brass vessel are visible at the edges.

November 04 2013

Night-time homa at a sacred fire pit lined with yellow-painted edges and a blue-and-yellow decorative tile. A young priest in white dhoti and white turban, with rudraksha mala and white forehead markings, tends a flaming fire of wood and offerings. Behind and beside him, several men in saffron-orange robes with rudraksha malas and white markings sit around the fire, one holding a brass bowl. A bare-chested young man in white cloth with a rudraksha mala sits at the right, hands folded, and a fourth figure in white sits in the background. Smoke rises, and yellow flowers and dry grass lie around the fire pit.

A homa fire ritual at night in an open courtyard. A fire burns in a yellow-edged stone fire pit strewn with yellow flowers. Five young men in saffron-orange robes sit around it. The central one wears an orange turban and a gold necklace, and pours an offering from a ladle into the flames. Another wears a rudraksha mala and holds a ladle; a man in an orange shawl and brown beaded mala speaks into a microphone, and another holds a small silver vessel. Smoke rises above them. White sacred ash marks the foreheads and arms of the men.

Night outdoor fire ritual. A yellow-rimmed square fire pit blazes in the foreground. A man in a white dhoti with a white head cloth and a white shawl, bare-chested with a rudraksha-style necklace and gold armlet, leans over the flames offering an orange cloth into the fire. Behind him, three men in saffron-orange robes with shaved heads and white forehead markings stand; one holds a brass tray with flowers, another stands centrally. On the left, two young women in orange saris with beaded necklaces and forehead markings sit cross-legged, with a few seated onlookers behind them. On the right, a decorated altar is heaped with yellow and orange marigold garlands, fruit and brass vessels. A man in white clothing plays a small instrument at the back.

February 07 2016

November 04 2013

Night-time homa at an outdoor fire pit lined with red brick and strewn with yellow flower petals. A bald man in a saffron-orange dhoti and shawl, with a shaved head, tripundra markings and a beaded necklace, stands bent forward holding a brass bowl at the edge of the flames. Beside him a seated priest in white dhoti and shawl, with a shaved head and sandalwood markings, sits on a mat with a brass vessel and banana leaves. A tall brass oil lamp stands by the fire. Behind them about twenty seated devotees sit on white chairs and mats in orange, maroon, yellow and white garments, some with hands in anjali, and a tripod-mounted camera stands at left.