April 14 2018 - Nithyanandapedia

Nithyanandapedia

April 14 2018

More like this

Open the gallery

A photograph of a fire ritual, a homa with tall orange flames and smoke rising from a fire pit in the foreground. Four men stand behind and beside the fire. On the left, a man in white dhoti and shawl with gold chain and horizontal white tilak holds a microphone in one hand and a gesture in the other. The center man wears an orange wrap, a white-and-orange headdress, a rudraksha mala and beaded necklaces, with palms pressed together in prayer. To his right, a bare-chested man in a white dhoti with gold border and beaded mala presses his hands together. Behind them are marigold garlands, banana leaves, a brass kalasha-style vessel and a stone pillared hall with colourful cloth decorations.

A homa fire blazes in the foreground of a temple hall, with tall flames and smoke rising from a pit of offerings. A man at left in white dhoti and shawl with vertical white tilak and a gold necklace holds a microphone and presses his palms together. In the centre a man in orange saffron robes, rudraksha mala and a layered bead-and-silver necklace with a patterned headpiece folds his hands in prayer. At right a man in white dhoti and gold-bordered shawl with a grey-white beaded necklace and a black headwrap joins his palms. Banana leaves, marigold garlands, a ceremonial staff and a red-and-gold decorated pillar frame the scene. Whether the central saffron-robed man is a person cannot be determined from appearance.

April 14 2018

2013-09-04 +2 copies

April 14 2018

July 16 2015

Photograph of a camphor flame burning above a silver tray of flowers and white offerings on a gold-edged table, during an aarti in a temple setting. Two men in saffron-orange robes stand behind the flame: the one on the left has bare arms and bare chest with multiple rudraksha malas and a large gold pendant, the one on the right wears a long rudraksha mala, gold garlands and folds his hands in namaskar with a red-tilak, red-banded headband. Behind them a younger man in white dhoti and shawl with a gold border and a mala stands on the right. Golden ritual objects and a brass lamp are visible.

A homa fire burns in a flower-decorated enclosure with marigold and white garlands hanging on the left. Several men in ritual dress stand around the flames: a bare-chested man in orange cloth holds a woven basket, another in orange and red wrap holds a brass vessel, and a bare-chested man in yellow dhoti pours from a metal pot. A bearded man in a yellow dhoti with a purple sash and rudraksha beads stands at right, with white-clad attendants and onlookers behind a woven bamboo backdrop. Offerings of flowers lie near the fire pit.

September 04 2013

Night-time homa at an open-air temple pavilion. In the foreground a large fire burns in a tiered yagna kunda decorated with marigold garlands and red kumkum. Behind it a priest in white dhoti with a saffron-and-gold shawl holds a vessel over the flames and offers oblations, while a second priest in cream dhoti with a gold border holds a bundle of kusha grass beside him. At right a man in a saffron dhoti with a red rudraksha mala and bare chest, hands folded in anjali, stands by a table of flowers and offerings. Behind them more white-clad priests tend additional fire pits under bamboo-supported roofing, with a deity shrine lit at the back. Coconuts, flowers and brass pots sit on the ground.

Night outdoor fire ritual, a homa with a bright open flame rising from a pile of wood and offerings at the lower left. A standing priest with a shaved head and a bare chest wears a white dhoti with a red-and-gold sash and bows with palms pressed together in namaskar. Beside him another man in orange-toned dhoti stands with bare chest and bead necklace. A seated devotee at right wears a pink turban, layered white rudraksha and flower garlands, and holds a rudraksha mala while looking down at the fire. Yellow and orange marigold flowers, potted plants, a brass bowl and a golden deity murti or ornate altar stand at the sides, with a row of people watching from the background and a tall building and lights at night.

A homa fire ritual in a tented shrine. A bare-chested priest with red rudraksha malas and an orange-yellow dhoti raises a lit oil lamp toward a fire pit lined with brick, with bright flames rising from it. Two seated assistants in white dhotis and shawls sit at left, and a standing attendant at right. Behind them stand a large deity murti draped in garlands and a silver-framed shrine containing a standing figure with a crown and garlands. Orange triangular banners with floral designs flank the altar, and a microphone stands near the priest.