October 25 2006 - Nithyanandapedia

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October 25 2006

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A homa fire burns in a square brick fire pit at the centre of a ritual gathering outdoors. Around the pit, a priest in white clothes with an orange cloth and gold bangle kneels at left, offering from a brass tray with flowers and a fruit. Seated on a striped green mat at right, a man in white shirt and dark glasses presses his palms together, and an older man in white shirt sits beside him. Behind them, rows of women in saris in orange, pink, yellow and purple sit with folded hands. Marigold petals decorate the bricks, and a brass vessel and a small brass lamp sit near the fire.

A photograph of a ritual aarti during a padapuja-style gathering. In the foreground, a man in white dhoti with a red border and a gold-beaded necklace sits at left, a red bindi on his forehead, looking to the right. A man in white with a vertical white-and-red forehead mark and a gold-beaded mala holds up a silver multi-branched oil lamp with several lit flames. Behind them, women in orange and saffron saris sit with hands folded in prayer, and a woman in a yellow-and-white sari is seen at center. Lit oil lamps glow in the background, and a white plastic bowl sits on the floor.

Night-time street photograph of a crowd gathered for an aarti. In the centre, a man in a white shirt and orange shawl holds a brass lamp with a bright open flame, and devotees in white and orange clothing lean in with cupped hands to receive it. Around them, many onlookers stand close together, some with palms pressed in namaskar, one older woman in a dark sari with a red bindi at left, and a man in a white shirt with a red and gold shawl at right. A white van and trees are visible in the background. No identifiable a person figure is evident.

Outdoors under trees, a crowd of young men and boys stands in a loose line. In the foreground a young man in a white shirt with a lanyard lowers his eyes, and a younger boy in a yellow checked shirt stands beside him. Behind them, a brass vessel holds a bright open flame with smoke rising, and other people in white and light shirts wait close by. The scene suggests a fire offering being carried out among the group.

Night ritual at an outdoor homa or fire-offering site under a decorated canopy of green and orange festoons and banana leaves. A man in saffron-orange robes with a hood-like head covering and layered beaded necklaces stands at right, holding a silver plate of flaming camphor or offering fire aloft. Seated devotees in orange and maroon garments press palms together around a square homa pit with brass vessels, marigold petals and yellow flowers. Smoke rises at left, and a garlanded deity murti sits in the background at right. Several people in white with yellow shawls kneel at lower right.

Night photograph of a large crowd of devotees gathered in a temple courtyard with blue-painted pillars and an illuminated shrine behind them. Several men at the front have bare chests and wear rudraksha malas, white dhotis and horizontal white vibhuti stripes on their foreheads, with hands pressed together in namaskar. A man in a white shirt and a central figure in a yellow dhoti with a long orange-brown border stand among them. Women in saffron, green and pink saris and a few children stand behind, and a man in yellow kneels at the lower left. No single figure is clearly identifiable as a person from appearance alone, so the central figures are described by role only.

Outdoor street scene at dusk during a procession. A woman in a purple sari holds a silver kalasha-style vessel with a flame rising from it, while a woman in a floral cream and gold sari with a white forehead mark covers her face with her hands in devotion. On the right, a man in a yellow checked shirt with gold wristwatch and ring stands with palms pressed together in namaste. Behind them are roadside vehicles, trees and street lights. A small yellow and green woven bag hangs from the vessel's stand. Three people are visible, with a partial figure at the left edge in white clothing.

A night-time photograph of a ritual under a striped canopy with marigold and jasmine garlands strung from the poles. A man in a saffron-orange robe and matching orange turban, wearing a long white and red-blue flower garland, holds a lit brass oil lamp (aarti) with a flame. Around him, devotees in white clothes stand with palms pressed together in namaste. Two children in white, one a girl with hair in a braid, stand at the left with hands folded, and a brass lamp and a steel plate of fruit sit in the foreground. Several men and women in white and light shirts watch from the crowd behind.

Outdoor procession with a young man in a saffron-orange shawl and white shirt holding a long wooden pole and a small brass handbell, while another man at right extends a brass aarti lamp with flame toward the group. Behind them a red and gold ceremonial umbrella with fringed trim stands above a line of men in white shirts and dhotis, several with palms pressed together in namaste. White flags with a blue emblem wave among green trees and a thatched hut. The scene suggests a ratha yatra procession with aarti.

October 24 2006

A photograph of an outdoor puja under a blue and silver draped canopy at dusk. A tall man in an orange saffron robe and orange head wrap, with white markings on his arms and chest, holds a brass lamp stand with a lit flame toward a large sculpted shivalinga draped in orange cloth and garlanded with multicoloured flowers. Women in white saris and white clothes stand or kneel around him, one bending to light a lamp on the floor, and a young man in white sits beside the linga with hands folded. Brass bells, a silver plate of flowers and a steel pot sit on the red mat. Seated devotees and children watch at the left edge.

December 26 2010