January 13 2018 - Nithyanandapedia

Nithyanandapedia

January 13 2018

More like this

Open the gallery

Outdoor ritual at a deeksha event under a large white tent with orange drapes and a construction excavator in the background. A seated figure in saffron and orange robes at the right sits on an ornate gold throne with a red cushion, hands folded, apparently presiding; the person is not clearly identifiable as a person from appearance cues, so the presiding figure is described only by role. Standing in front are several young men in orange dhotis and shawls with rudraksha malas, bare-chested with white markings on their arms and torsos, performing puja. One holds a small oil lamp and a brass vessel, another offers flowers and a plate. A seated row of around twenty men and youths in white dhotis sits on a striped cloth at left, some with ash markings, pressing palms together. Brass pots, banana leaves, marigolds, white flower garlands, bananas and a kalasha-style arrangement lie on the floor, with a brick fire pit or homa area of yellow bricks at the centre.

A homa fire ceremony on an outdoor stage at dusk. A saffron-robed priest wearing an orange turban and bare-chested, with white body markings, pours offerings into a fire pit built of yellow bricks. Beside him, two saffron-robed young men stand holding a silver bowl and a stacked tray, one with long hair and the other with a rudraksha-style neck mala. Near them sits a decorated deity murti garlanded with white and purple flowers, with a banana leaf, brass oil lamps, fruit plates and a bowl of food in front. Behind them, a gold-ornate throne holds a framed portrait of a saffron-clad seated figure. Dozens of shirtless men in white dhotis sit on the ground to the left, and a yellow crane and stage structures stand in the background.

A photograph of a puja ceremony seated on the ground. In the centre, a shaven-headed man in orange robes with rudraksha malas and beaded armlets sits before a flower-covered platform decorated with yellow and white garlands, red roses and small metal deity figures. He holds an incense stick above a brass tray holding oil lamps, brass bowls, a small kettle and a lit wick. Bananas, red and yellow flowers and leaves lie on a striped cloth in the foreground. Behind him, another orange-clad sannyasi sits with folded hands. On the right, a woman in orange robes with a beaded necklace and a white ornament in her hair sits with a bowl. Smoke rises from the incense on the flower platform.

October 10 2017

2017-10-10 +2 copies

Outdoor ritual under a corrugated metal canopy with palm trees behind. A decorated Ganesha murti on the left wears a garland of marigolds and green leaves, with a kalasha-like offering and a platter of yellow flowers and fruit before it. Several men in saffron and orange robes sit on an orange cloth; one bare-chested ritual participant in white dhoti wears a yellow headcloth and rudraksha malas, seated before a fire pit with a homa in progress. Two microphones stand in front of the group. A man in orange robes sits on a red velvet throne at right, with an ornate gold-trimmed chair and a bowl of fruit, lamps and marigolds on the ground nearby. The scene reads as a homa or puja.

Outdoor homa at an ashram courtyard. A young man in saffron cloth with rudraksha malas sits cross-legged at left, sorting yellow flowers on a metal tray. Behind him a second young man in white dhoti reads from an open book. At right, a bare-chested priest in white pours liquid into a fire pit where smoke rises from wooden-stepped sides. Brass vessels, a bronze oil lamp, a kalasha-like pot and marigold garlands sit on the ground. On a raised orange chair, a framed portrait shows a seated figure in orange with a mala, but it is a printed picture, not a person present. Several saffron-robed devotees sit at far left.

October 10 2017

2017-10-10 +1 copies

September 09 2013

Outdoor homa or abhishekam ritual under an open thatched shelter with palm trees behind. A seated figure in white with a yellow head wrap and a gold-bordered dhoti faces the fire pit, pouring offerings into a stone yagna kund with a small flame. Two young boys in saffron-orange robes with white forehead markings sit nearby, one preparing items and one holding a bowl of rice. Another saffron-clad boy with a rudraksha mala sits in front of a flower-decorated deity murti garlanded in marigolds and multicolored flowers. On the right, a figure in an orange and gold robe sits on a red and gold throne, with a mala and a gold-bordered shawl, watching the ritual. Fruits, marigold flowers, kumkum and a silver lamp sit on an orange cloth in the foreground, with microphones on stands.

A photograph of a ritual outdoors under palm trees, with a fire pit (homa) burning at the centre. On the left, a large deity murti is decorated with a garland of yellow and red flowers and ornate gold jewellery. Two women in orange and red saris stand at the fire, one with hands raised; a woman in a white dhoti-style garment with gold trim stands beside them. Two shaven-headed men in orange and red robes with rudraksha malas kneel on the orange cloth, and a seated woman in orange and red garb sits on the right. Brass bowls and plates with yellow flowers are arranged on the mat, and a man in an orange robe holds a plate of marigolds near the fire. Microphones stand on the cloth at left.

A photograph of a homa fire ritual in progress. A priest in a rust-orange dhoti and shawl, with bare shoulders, glasses and a shaved head, leans over a tiered base of yellow turmeric-coloured bricks and pours from a small vessel into flames. Beside him, a younger attendant in an orange turban and saffron-and-gold wrap sits cross-legged, and another orange-turbaned man sits behind. Behind them, a decorated deity murti is draped with marigold and multicoloured garlands in front of a pink cloth. Brass vessels, a kalasha, a small oil lamp and flower offerings lie on the floor, and a golden throne-like seat is visible at upper left.

Photograph of a fire ritual indoors. A sacrificial fire burns in a square pit of yellow bricks on a striped multicoloured mat, with a kalasha-style brass vessel and offerings nearby. A man in an orange-red sannyasi robe and matching turban, with rudraksha beads, stands at the fire holding a small flower and an oil lamp, while a second man in orange sits at the left edge. Behind them a seated figure in a red-brown robe sits before a gold ornate throne-like chair; the seated figure is not identifiable beyond this role. Two women in orange saris with prayer-folded hands stand at the right beside a wooden door frame. Marigolds and a magenta cloth-covered table with white-and-yellow decorated items complete the homa setting.

2018-01-13 +1 copies