Skip to content
Nithyanandapedia
August 31 2017

More like this

Open the gallery
August 31 20172017-08-31A photo of a ritual at an open pavilion with red columns. In the foreground a small metal brazier holds a bright flame and burning cowdung cakes, with smoke rising. Beside it sits a man in an ornate silver throne, wearing a leopard-print headband, a long rudraksha mala, a gold necklace and gold armbands, dressed in rust-red robes, seated with hands resting on his lap. Behind him on the ground sit a crowd of people, many men in orange and white turbans and women in white and teal saris, with a standing woman in a cream sari with embroidery. Lanterns hang from the columns. A person's legs in dark robes appear at the top left, partially cut off. a person (appearance-based): the seated figure on the throne with rudraksha malas, gold ornaments and rust-red robes.2017-08-31August 08 20172017-08-08July 22 20132013-07-22Outdoor evening ritual at a homa platform. A bare-chested man with long swept-back hair, a crown-like headdress and saffron-red shawl sits on a raised white platform at right, holding a long ladle over a fire on a brick heap; a silver tray stands beside him. In the foreground a gold-framed fire pit burns with flames. Seated on striped mats at left, men and women in saffron, orange and red robes and garlands sit in rows, one in an orange turban. Brass lamps are lit at right, a silver vessel stands in the foreground, and smoke rises across a crowd of devotees in the background.2017-08-31Photograph of a ritual preparation of Aushada, showing two seated people in dark red-maroon robes working over a pit lined with brick and sprinkled with white flower petals and grass. The man on the left, bare-shouldered with glasses, a rudraksha mala and a red bead bracelet, holds a flat round cowdung cake. The woman on the right wears a maroon sari with gold border, long dark hair, a rudraksha mala and white markings on her arms, and holds a cake over a steel vessel on a brick stand. Behind them, several young children in saffron-orange cloth with orange head wraps stand with rudraksha malas. A silver kalasha-style dish, brass lamp with flames, rice and turmeric in bowls and a silver ornate container are visible. The scene reflects the Pudamgaatal smoke-purification step described on the page.2017-08-31March 10 20132013-03-10Outdoor temple-style ceremony under a corrugated roof with palm trees behind. A bare-chested man with long swept-back dark hair, wearing a saffron shawl, gold necklaces and gold bangles, stands centre holding a bunch of green leaves while a shaven-headed priest in saffron robes at left offers a silver tray. Behind them are rows of saffron-clad sannyasis with orange shawls and marigold garlands, several women in orange saris, and a crowd of onlookers in white. a person candidate is present, identified by long hair, saffron shawl and ornate gold adornments; he is in the centre, presiding over the ritual, with a few shaven-headed monks beside him.2013-03-10Outdoor homa or fire ritual with an open flame rising from a small fire pit beside a magenta-draped altar holding a silver bowl of grains, a brass lamp and a kumkum dish. A woman in a red-and-orange dhoti with flower-decorated hair and gold bangles sits on the left with a damaru-style drum at her feet. A shaved-headed young man in saffron and orange robes tends the fire, and a cameraman in white kurta films beside him. Behind them, seated devotees in orange and saffron robes, rudraksha malas and red shawls fill the mats. A woman on the lower right wears an orange sari and nose ring. a person candidate not clearly identifiable.2014-12-17A night-time homa at a temple courtyard with a square fire pit where flames rise. Behind the pit a seated woman in red-orange robes, rudraksha mala and garlands sits on an ornate silver-framed seat, with a large gathering of devotees in red and saffron clothes, many with rudraksha malas and white forehead markings, kneeling and standing around the fire. Some are bald priests in saffron-orange shawls seated at the front. A man in a white shirt holds a camera at the back, and smoke fills the air.2013-03-18Outdoor ritual scene under a covered pavilion with palm and leafy plants behind. A bare-chested man in a red-orange dhoti kneels at left, handling a small offering on a leaf-lined tray. Beside him a woman in a red sari with a beaded necklace and bangles works over a flat stone at a clay hearth. A man in a red-orange dhoti with a white headband and rudraksha mala sits at center. Behind them stand several people in orange and red garments and garlands. A large ornate silver throne stands at right. In the foreground a square, yellow-ochre fire pit lined with flowers holds a bowl of yellow liquid and small metal vessels, with a brass lamp and a kalasha-like pot nearby. Brass lamps and a standing fan appear at the edges, consistent with an aushada preparation ritual.2017-08-31January 14 20182018-01-14