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Nithyanandapedia
April 01 2013

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Night outdoor ritual at a fire pit: a standing man in a rust-red dhoti and saffron-orange shawl with a rudraksha-style mala holds a lit oil lamp aloft to the left. Seated devotees in white clothes with red waist cloths and orange-red shawls sit with palms pressed together before a stone fire pit with a burning flame and brass offering vessels. A shaven-headed priest in saffron with white horizontal markings kneels at the right foreground. Behind them, a golden-framed deity murti is seen in shadow, with a sanctum and plants nearby; more devotees sit in rows.2013-04-01March 26 20132013-03-26A square fire pit with a lit fire of burning logs dominates the foreground, as a homa or yagna is performed. Seated on striped mats, a shaved-headed priest in saffron-orange robes with a white headband, rudraksha mala and white markings applies offerings from a brass plate, with brass bowls, a kettle-like vessel and ritual implements around him. Around the fire, several devotees in white clothes with orange and red sashes sit with palms joined in prayer, and a woman in white at left presses her hands together. Behind them more participants are seated in the dim hall.2013-04-01July 17 20132013-07-17March 29 20132013-03-29Evening ritual in a temple-style hall. Several priests in white dhotis and bare upper bodies stand at left, one lifting a lit lamp and a plate of offerings before a decorated deity murti garlanded with flowers. A fire burns in a raised stone homa or puja pit in front of the shrine. Devotees sit on the floor facing the altar, mostly women in white clothes with red-orange shawls. A figure in a golden ornamented throne chair at right, dressed in orange and gold, observes the ceremony beside electric fans. The room has a red wall and an arched shrine frame.2013-07-17Night-time Ganapati homa at an outdoor ashram setting. A golden-yellow square fire pit holds a flaming fire, with smoke rising. Several priests sit around it in saffron/orange robes and white dhotis, with rudraksha malas and white forehead markings; the priest at right wears a red and gold turban and white garment with gold border and offers something into the fire. Silver and brass vessels, a small pot with yellow flowers, and bowls of grain sit at the edges. Behind them a seated audience in white and red-sashed clothing fills the background, with a microphone stand visible at left. A partial garland hangs in the background.2014-10-11May 20 20142014-05-20March 28 20132013-03-28July 04 20162016-07-04Night outdoor ritual on a lawn lit by floodlights. A fire burns in a rectangular brazier at lower right, where a priest bent forward in white dhoti and red shawl tends the flame; another priest with a shaved head and red-and-white sash sits behind. In the centre a woman in a red sari and rudraksha-style mala stands with hands folded. A row of about a dozen devotees in white clothes with red shawls stands along the left with palms pressed together. Behind, a silver ornate peetha or small shrine holds a deity murti under a white umbrella, and a man in white stands at the back. Fire pit with homa-style offerings.2014-07-24Night outdoor homa at a brick-lined fire pit with a bright flame, decorated with yellow flowers and rangoli. A bald man in an orange saffron robe with a gold border, a crystal-bead necklace, and gold armlet stands at the pit tipping an offering into the fire from a plate. Beside him a shaved-headed priest in white dhoti and shawl with a sacred thread sits on a mat with ritual items and a bell. Behind, seated devotees on white plastic chairs and on the grass watch, including women in saffron, yellow, cream and sari-style dress, some with hands folded in prayer. Banana leaves, fruit and a brass oil lamp sit on the ground in front.2010-12-16