January 29 2010 - Nithyanandapedia

Nithyanandapedia

January 29 2010

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Photograph of a ritual in a decorated pandal at night. On the left, a deity murti is heavily adorned with garlands of red, yellow and white flowers and a banana-leaf backdrop, set on a gold-draped platform with brass lamps. In the centre foreground, a shaved-headed priest in an orange cloth kneels beside a round pit and holds up a lit oil lamp. Behind him, two bare-chested men in white dhotis with rudraksha malas assist, one touching his shoulder while another stands at the back. Bright cloth banners and flower decorations frame the scene. A large round ritual pit sits in the foreground.

A photograph of a fire ritual inside a decorated pandal with bamboo framing, hanging palm fronds and leaf festoons. Several men in white dhotis and orange shawls stand in a row, several raising flaming lamps or torches toward a shrine. On the left, a golden deity murti is adorned with garlands of yellow and red flowers, and a gold throne sits beside it. Behind the row, a banner with printed Tamil script hangs across the top. Seated devotees in white line the foreground, and kalasha pots with offerings fill the right side. The scene suggests a homa or fire offering.

Night-time temple ritual under a open-sided pavilion with string lights. A priest bare-chested with a yellow sash over his shoulder holds a large lit camphor aarti lamp high with both hands, flame blazing. Beside him a white-clad assistant in a dhoti with a red border stands with folded hands. In the foreground a devotee sits with his back to the camera beside a fire pit and rows of flower-decorated brass and wooden platforms with offerings and kalasha pots. At right a golden deity murti under a decorated canopy and flower garlands is visible. Several other white-robed participants sit nearby and a camera on a tripod films the scene. No readable a person identity cues are clearly established.

Photograph of a ritual inside a canopied hall decorated with hanging colourful lanterns and fabric streamers. In the foreground, a shirtless priest in white dhoti with orange and yellow bordered cloth stands at a wooden homa or puja platform, while another priest in a yellow-bordered dhoti tends oil lamps and burning flames. A tray in front holds fruit, flowers and a leaf-plate of offerings. Behind them, seated devotees in white and a figure in red-and-gold dress sit before a golden throne-like seat with a sunburst backdrop. Floral garlands and ornate ritual objects are visible on the platform.

Evening ritual inside a open-sided shed with a corrugated green metal roof and tricolour-style painted cloth panels with red and blue floral motifs. On the left, a decorated deity murti is garlanded with marigolds and yellow flower strings. A bare-chested man in orange dhoti stands with hands on hips watching. At center-right, a priest in a saffron-orange dhoti and yellow waist cloth raises a lit oil lamp aarti before a seated group of devotees in orange robes. In the foreground a man in white dhoti bends low in prostration over a floral offering arranged on the ground. Several saffron-clad sannyasi and devotees sit on the floor, and a few men in white stand in the background.

Night puja in a open-sided tent decorated with multicoloured hanging lights and ornaments. Three priests perform a ritual at a flower-decked altar with brass vessels, fruit, banana leaves and a large lit camphor flame held aloft by a bare-chested priest in a yellow-green shawl. A younger priest in white dhoti with a red-bordered cloth stands centre, and a woman in a maroon sari with white ash marks on her arms stands at right. Near the left, a figure seated on an ornate gold throne wears a white garland and saffron-coloured clothing, with a gold lion-like armrest visible. Devotees sit on the floor in the background.

Night-time ritual inside a decorated open pavilion with a white tent ceiling and hanging string lights in orange, blue and white. A priest in a green-and-gold wrapped cloth and a bare chest, his hair in a knot, raises a burning camphor or fire lamp in front of a ritual altar piled with marigold garlands, banana leaves, brass plates and pink offerings. A younger attendant in white dhoti and cloth stands beside the altar, reaching toward the offerings. A seated figure with a shaved head and dark robe sits at left near a golden lion-shaped throne and a large golden sunburst backrest. Several devotees sit in the background on striped mats. The scene reads as an aarti or puja at a temple-style setting.

January 29 2010

Night-time ritual under a white tent with pink trim and bright floodlights. A yellow-gold fire altar with a burning flame sits in front, decorated with red petals. Behind it a seated figure on a red-cushioned throne is garlanded with white flowers and wears a beaded necklace; this figure is a deity murti or seated person, not clearly identifiable. Priests in white dhotis with colourful borders stand near the fire; one bare-chested man in white and one in orange-and-white cloth assist. Flower arrangements, a brass kalasha, and oil lamps lie on a striped mat in the foreground. Several people in orange and red clothing stand in the background, and a man in an orange shawl holding a flower garland stands at the right edge, indicating a homa or puja ceremony.

July 17 2006

December 15 2016

A photograph inside a open-sided pavilion with a corrugated metal roof, decorated with painted floral patterns on white cloth and garlands of marigolds. On the left, a standing priest in yellow dhoti and red-brown shawl performs a ritual near a flower-decked deity murti and a basket of offerings. Nearby, a man in white dhoti holds a plate. Along the right, about a dozen seated sannyasis wear saffron-orange robes and sit before a square yagna pit with kolam designs and flower petals on the floor. A cameraman in white films the scene, and onlookers in white stand behind.