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Nithyanandapedia
July 18 2013

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A photograph of a Hindu ritual inside a temple-like hall decorated with gold arches and pink drapes. A bare-chested elderly priest with white sacred markings on his arms and a pink-and-gold dhoti sits at left, extending his hand over a stone fire pit with offerings. Beside him a younger man in a bare-chested pose assists. At centre, a seated man wears a woven straw hat, a pink shawl, a white sacred thread and flower garlands, with a silver bowl before him. Behind them stand large deity murtis draped in yellow and red-and-yellow garlands, one in gold crown and yellow robes. Brass plates, banana leaves, flowers and kalasha pots fill the foreground. The ritual appears to be a homa or puja.2013-07-18A homa or yagna ritual on a raised platform. Two priests in white dhoti and an older man with white hair and vertical white tilak stand over a square fire pit of stacked bricks, one pouring an offering from a steel bowl. A second younger man in saffron-orange dhoti and a bare chest with a sacred thread leans forward beside them. Brass kalasha pots wrapped in red and pink fabric, coconuts, mango leaves, white jasmine garlands and yellow and red marigolds, small cones of grain and brass bowls of offerings fill the table. Behind them, devotees in white sit on red mats in a bright hall, and a man in white dhoti with a microphone sits at right.2013-07-18A photograph of a Guru Purnima satsang in a decorated hall. A man in a red-orange turban and red garland sits on an ornate golden throne with a golden lion-form base, bare-shouldered, with a silver staff standing beside him. Garlands of white, yellow and red flowers hang at the right. In front, a golden tray holds brass plates of offerings, flowers and oil lamps. Seated devotees in white, red and orange saris and kurtas wear rudraksha malas and face the throne with hands folded. Behind them stand other attendees, and a brass oil lamp stands at the lower right.2015-07-31September 16 20132013-09-16October 23 20082008-10-23A ritual puja in progress in a hall with a white floor and red curtains. A young priest with bare chest, white dhoti with coloured border and an orange-yellow cloth at his waist leans over a wooden platform, placing offerings into a bowl. Beside him an older man in a pink cloth and white vibhuti marks on his forehead assists. Two seated priests in white dhotis with rudraksha malas chant into microphones. Before them are trays of flowers, bananas, coconuts, silver lamps and kalasha pots wrapped in pink cloth with garlands, plus bowls of kumkum and turmeric. A silver lamp stand stands at left, and a golden deity murti is visible at upper right.2013-07-18July 06 20152015-07-06June 19 20132013-06-19Night-time homa at an outdoor fire pit lined with yellow-painted brick. Three priests in white dhotis with gold borders and rudraksha malas sit or stand at the fire: one in the center wears an orange-red cloth, and the figure on the right wears a bright pink headwrap and gives an offering from a brass vessel. Silver pots, a teapot, flower petals, marigolds and oil lamps sit on the platform. Behind them, a seated crowd in white and orange robes watches, with a microphone stand at left.2014-10-11Photograph of a temple courtyard set up for ritual worship under a white canopy. In the foreground a man with his back to the camera wears an orange cloth wrapped at the waist, with an orange head cloth and a bare upper body, standing beside a fire pit lined with red and white patterned edging. Two kalasha pots with mango leaves sit on gold-coloured bases. Beyond, a shrine is draped with orange and gold patterned cloth. A second person in orange stands near the shrine steps, and two dark stone deity murti stand decorated with garlands on the left and right. Striped mats cover the floor.2017-09-02Close-up photograph of a ritual offering being poured. A woman in a white blouse with a red-patterned shawl and a thin dark cord around her neck holds an ornately engraved silver cup and pours from it into a second silver vessel held by a hand in the foreground. Both wrists wear bangles. Beside them lie a golden tray with flowers in red, pink and white, scattered rudraksha beads, silver bowls and a silver plate with apples, and an orange-robed arm at the left edge. The gold-toned background suggests an ashram puja or abhishekam setting.2011-09-11September 26 20092009-09-26