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Nithyanandapedia
June 12 2004

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Outdoor fire ritual (homa) at night. A tiered yellow brick altar with a blazing fire at its top is decorated with red flower petals and a white powder dusting. Four men in front sit on a green mat: the man at left in an orange shawl and beaded necklaces speaks into a microphone, a man in the center wears a teal cloth and a mala, a man next to him wears an orange shawl and a mala, and a bare-chested man at right wears a red-and-pink shawl and white dhoti. Brass oil lamps, a kalasha-style vessel, bananas, fruit and flower offerings sit on the mat. Behind them rows of seated devotees in white and red garments fill the space, with a painted deity murti at upper left.2016-07-03May 15 20162016-05-15A photograph of a homa fire pit built from yellow-orange bricks with white-dusted edges and pink flower decorations, a large flame rising from the center. Three men sit on a red cloth before it. On the left, a bare-chested man in a yellow dhoti pours or tends the fire. In the center, a bald, bare-chested man wearing a red rudraksha mala raises a hand over the fire. On the right, a young man in a white dhoti with a gold chain speaks into a microphone. Fruit, brass bowls and a green basin sit nearby. Behind them, golden trident-topped stands, red flags and a white decorated bull are visible, with a crowd standing behind barricades under a tent.2016-05-15A night-time homa at an open-air ground. A square fire pit is lined with orange bricks and bordered by yellow marigold garlands, with flames rising from the centre. On the left, a bare-chested man in a white dhoti sits at the fire pit feeding it with a long wooden stick and speaks into a microphone. On the right, a bearded man with long hair in a bun, bare-chested and wearing a red rudraksha mala and an orange and pink cloth, holds a lit oil lamp and speaks into a second microphone, with smoke rising beside him. Behind them, rows of seated devotees in white clothes with red lanyard badges sit with hands folded in prayer. A metal bowl and offering plates lie on the ground.2015-12-11A homa fire ritual in progress. A brick-lined fire pit holds flaming wood and ash at the bottom centre. A man in orange cloth sits cross-legged at the front right, pouring from a small vessel into the fire. Behind the fire, a seated man in a long orange robe with a bare upper body and a wide crimson-and-gold sash, adorned with a large gold pendant and a rudraksha-style necklace, sits with hands together. Beside him a man in a purple cloth and ochre dhoti is seated, and further back a man in white stands. On the right, brass lamps, a metal pot and rows of small white packets are arranged on shelves. Woven striped mats in red, green and blue cover the floor.2015-09-14A homa fire ritual inside a decorated tent. A fire burns in a brick fire pit bordered with coloured rangoli, with smoke rising. A man in an orange-yellow cloth and red rudraksha mala holds a lit oil lamp and a small brass vessel near the fire. Around him, priests in white dhotis sit on the floor, one bare-chested and one wearing a white shawl, with brass pots and offering bowls. Behind them stands a decorated deity murti garlanded with orange and yellow flowers, with a silver-trimmed throne and brass oil lamps nearby. A microphone stands at the edge of the fire. Four physical people are clearly visible, plus a child at the fire pit.2015-07-16February 22 20162016-02-22 +1 copiesJanuary 06 20182018-01-06October 16 20102010-10-16 +2 copiesSeptember 19 20152015-09-19A photograph of an outdoor homa or yagna at dusk. A fire burns in the centre of a yellow-brick fire pit decorated with red flower petals and white powder, with a brass lamp and oil lamps nearby. Seated on the ground at left, a priest with a pink head cloth, bare chest and rudraksha-style beads, in white dhoti, performs the rite. At centre-right a man in white dhoti and orange-brown shawl sings into a microphone. Two more men in white dhotis, one in a red-orange cloth, sit around the fire. Behind them stands a colourful deity murti with lion figures and a cobra-hooded base. Fruit, flowers and brass vessels lie in front of the pit.2016-07-03March 06 20162016-03-06 +1 copies