Skip to content
Nithyanandapedia
June 12 2004

More like this

Open the gallery
Photograph of a homa fire ritual in a warmly lit hall. A figure in an orange turban and orange robes with a rudraksha mala stands at a brick fire pit, holding a brass tray with a pink flower and offerings while smoke rises around him. A bare-chested man in a white dhoti holds a microphone behind him, and several people stand in the background. Marigold garlands decorate the pit edge, and cut fruit pieces with red powder sit on the bricks.2004-06-12A night homa fire ceremony under a decorated open-sided pavilion hung with orange and blue fabric and green leaf strands. Smoke rises from a fire pit bordered with yellow and white flower petals. A saffron-robed priest stands at centre holding a brass tray of offerings, wearing an orange shawl, an orange head wrap and a beaded necklace. To the left, two orange-robed priests kneel with brass bowls of yellow flowers and grains. Behind them, a man in white with a yellow shawl holds a basket. To the right, two seated devotees in white dhotis with yellow shawls sit before a brass oil lamp stand, banana bunches and a wooden table of offerings. Several audience members are seen at the bottom edge.2009-09-26Night outdoor homa at a fire pit lined with marigold petals, under a thatched canopy with banana leaves and hanging foliage. A standing man in saffron-orange dhoti and shawl with a mala necklace holds a silver plate of offerings over the pit with his right hand. Beside him a man in white with a yellow shawl carries a tray. Seated on the left, a bearded man in orange with a gold-beaded mala and a younger man in orange tend the fire, and several women in white and yellow sit behind them. A brass plate of sweets and oil lamps are on a cloth at right, and a young man in white and yellow sits at far right.2009-10-17June 12 20042004-06-12Night outdoor homa at a fire pit lined with white stone and marigold petals, smoke rising. A standing man in orange robes and a gold necklace pours offerings from a silver plate into the fire. Beside him a younger man in white with a yellow shawl holds a tray of red items. Two orange-robed men with rudraksha malas sit at the pit, another orange-clad woman sits at left, and seated figures in white and yellow line the background under a leafy canopy. Brass vessels and cloths rest on the ground.2009-10-17A photograph of a fire ritual inside a hall. A man in an orange turban and orange robes, with a long dark hair and a beaded rudraksha mala across his chest, stands at the right of a square brick fire pit. He holds his hand over thick white smoke rising from the flames, while a flame and burning wood sit in the pit. Green leaves, coconut halves with red kumkum, and marigold garlands decorate the brick edge. A brass pot and a brass ladle sit at the left, and a silver tray of flowers and offerings is on the right. Behind the scene, a dark teal curtain hangs beside a deity murti draped in white flowers.2004-06-12A smoky homa fire pit, a square brown-walled altar edged with blue and white and strewn with yellow marigold petals, dominates the foreground with a small flame visible at its base. A brass ladle is held at right by a man in a yellow-and-orange headwrap and yellow marigold garland. Around the pit, about a dozen men stand in ritual dress: several bare-chested men in pink and yellow dhotis wear gold-toned necklaces, a man in saffron-orange robes holds a brass plate, and an elder with long white hair and a rudraksha mala raises a hand in blessing. Other men in orange robes and a man in a yellow cloth stand nearby under a white canopy, with thick smoke rising through the scene.2015-01-13February 16 20162016-02-16A night ritual at an outdoor homa or yagna site. A man with long dark swept-back hair, wearing an orange saffron garment with a gold border, a red and white flower garland and a gold necklace, raises a lit oil lamp in his right hand. Before him is a square fire pit edged with pink and white decoration and yellow flowers. Behind him stand a row of men in white dhotis and orange shawls, one holding a trident-topped staff. Other small fire pits with flames are scattered on the left, and an ornate carved wooden seat with a dish stands at right. Orange flags and red and orange draped cloth decorate the background tent.2007-01-01June 12 20042004-06-12A photograph of a homa or yagna at a sacred fire pit lined with white bricks and scattered yellow marigold petals. A man with long dark hair, wearing an orange-saffron dhoti and a long white and orange garland, holds a brass plate of offerings over the pit. Behind him, a man in white dhoti with an orange shawl helps hold a long pole draped with a green silk cloth. Trishul tridents stand near the doorway, and a peacock fan rests against the wall. Devotees in white and orange sit and stand in the room, including a woman in white with an orange shawl and a seated figure with a microphone nearby. Incense sticks and a kumkum-filled brass vessel sit on the left.2007-12-24A temple ritual with a fire offering in a tented hall lit by stage lights. A priest in a yellow and green sash and white dhoti lifts a lamp high above a raised wooden platform heaped with marigold garlands, fruit and bowls. Smoke rises around him. To the left, a young man in an orange-bordered dhoti and rudraksha-style necklace holds a brass tray, and beside him another man in white dhoti and shawl holds a tray and speaks into a microphone. Strings of colourful lights and a golden deity murti decorated with flowers stand at right, with a kalasha-like offering vessel in pink. Baskets of bananas, oranges and grains sit on a striped cloth in the foreground. Background figures in white are seated in the hall.2016-12-15