September 29 2006 - Nithyanandapedia

Nithyanandapedia

September 29 2006

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A man with long swept-back dark hair, a white flower garland with red blossoms, and an orange ochre robe stands at the left of a square fire pit lined with yellow marigolds and pink petals. He holds a silver vessel and a flame over the pit. Around him, white-clad and orange-shawled devotees stand in a row; one holds a brass bell and another a tall trident (trishul) with a kalasha-shaped top. A carved wooden seat with a yantra-like pattern sits at right, and a tent with red and orange drapery and orange pennants forms the backdrop. Bricks are stacked along the left edge. This appears to be a homa/yagna fire ritual.

November 11 2006

2006-11-11 +1 copies

A photograph of an outdoor ceremony beside a brick-lined fire pit holding burnt offerings, with a flower-decorated table in the foreground. A central figure with clasped hands and bowed head wears an orange robe and a large orange-and-white flower garland. Behind him, an orange-robed figure stands with hands folded, and a line of devotees in white dhotis, saris and shirts stands with hands folded under red umbrellas with tasseled fringe. Trees and a rocky outcrop form the backdrop. Appearance-based a person, the central figure in orange with a flower garland, is shown in an in_person prayer posture amid this ritual gathering.

Outdoor ritual under a corrugated metal roof with tree branches behind. A long-haired figure in orange robes and rudraksha malas, with a red tilak on the forehead, pours or places items from a silver plate onto a tiered earthen platform decorated with yellow and pink flower garlands. Behind, white-clad devotees stand with hands folded in anjali, and orange-robed attendants sit on the left near brick edging. A brass bowl and a wooden dais edge are visible. Personal cues: long swept-back hair and orange robes with a rudraksha mala, but identity cannot be confirmed from appearance, so the candidate is marked unsure.

A photograph of an outdoor homa (fire ritual) at an ashram. In the centre, a long-haired man in a saffron-orange robe stands at the edge of a square brick fire pit containing small burning sticks, with yellow flower petals on the bricks. He wears a large orange and white garland and holds a silver plate of flowers. A younger man in an orange robe and white dhoti stands behind him holding a wooden staff. Around them, a crowd of devotees dressed in white clothes with gold borders stands with palms pressed together in namaste; several women wear orange shawls. Brass vessels, a bowl of green leaves, a microphone on a stand and a cluster of pink and white flowers lie on the mat. Green trees and an orange canopy form the background.

Outdoors on bare red earth, a woman in an orange-red robe with long dark curly hair kneels at a square pit lined with white-painted bricks decorated with pink lotus flowers and yellow marigolds, lowering a long metal rod into the hole. Beside her a kalasha-like green coconut sits on a brass tray with a brass oil lamp garlanded in flowers. Nearby, a man in orange robe and rudraksha mala stands with palms joined, and a man in orange with a shawl stands behind. Around them, many devotees in white clothes and saffron or teal saris sit and stand with hands folded, while leaves, brass plates of offerings and a mound of excavated soil lie in the foreground. This appears to be a bhoomipooja ground-breaking ceremony.

December 26 2008

2008-12-26 +1 copies

December 26 2008

A homa fire ritual is performed inside a square brick fire pit filled with sand and burning sticks. A man in saffron-orange robes with long swept-back hair and a rudraksha mala sits on a carved wooden seat at left, holding a ladle over the fire and gesturing with his other hand; he appears to be Swamiji (probable) and is described in the scene as the officiating priest. Brass vessels, a kalasha-style pot, and offerings of wood and grains sit on a striped mat. Behind, a large seated crowd in white clothing and white ritual dress, many wearing rudraksha malas, observes. A young girl and two women in white sit with hands folded in front of the fire.

Photograph of a fire-offering (homa/yagna) ritual held under a canopy strung with orange and red cloth and green leaves. A central fire pit is ringed with orange and pink marigolds and white flowers. A woman in an orange saree with a gold necklace and a bangle sits behind the fire, holding a silver tray of flower petals and speaking into a microphone. To the left a man in white clothes with an orange shawl tends silver ritual vessels, lamps and a lit oil lamp. Other seated devotees in orange and white watch from behind. A white fan and a plant stalk appear at right. Photo credit line reads 2020 Sri Nithyananda Paramashivam

Outdoor ritual gathering under a bamboo and corrugated-roof pavilion decorated with painted cylindrical pillars in red, green and yellow. A man with long, swept-back dark hair and a bindi-like mark, wearing an orange saffron robe and a long rudraksha mala, stands smiling behind a mud altar. A woman in a white sari with orange shawl walks past, and a second woman in orange sits by brick fire-pit enclosures holding offering plates. Brass bowls, marigold and pink flower garlands and small plates of offerings cover the altar. Seated devotees in white and colourful clothing sit on red mats in the background, and a man in white stands near the back.

December 26 2008