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Nithyanandapedia
June 12 2004

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A puja scene inside a hall, with a low brick-lined fire pit or homa altar at centre and a purple cloth-draped table laden with bananas, mangoes, pineapples, apples, lemons, flower garlands, sugarcane stalks, a red chili and coconut-like offerings. A bare-chested priest in a maroon dhoti with rudraksha mala and a wristwatch sits at right, holding a ritual item aloft over the offerings, while another priest in saffron clothing with a microphone sits beside him. Seated devotees in white and cream dhotis and kurtas, some with shaved heads, fill the background, with a few standing people at the top edge.2004-06-12A shaved-headed priest in a white dhoti and white shirt with a red-and-white border performs aarti, lifting a silver lamp with a large flame toward the upper frame with one hand while holding a small bell in the other. He wears a gold chain and a bracelet and sits cross-legged on a red cloth before a microphone stand. Behind him a row of women sit with palms pressed together in namaskar, several in orange and saffron saris and others in white with yellow shawls. A brass thali holds a golden sweet, marigold petals, kumkum-coloured offerings, a bowl of cooked shrimp-like items, rice, and small metal vessels. A traditional yellow-and-green dish sits nearby, and a brass kalasha-style lamp stand on a silver tray at left.2010-11-12August 09 20152015-08-09Outdoor homa at a brick fire pit on bare earth, with a fire burning inside a white-brick square decorated with yellow flowers. Two men in white dhotis and white shirts with yellow shawls sit before the fire; the man in front holds a ladle and pours offerings. Behind them, a row of white-clad women and men sit on the ground, some holding brass items and a dhoop-like object. Brass plates of offerings, fruit and red-wrapped packets lie to the left, and on the right a tiered display of coconuts in woven baskets rests among potted green plants. Spectators in saris and white clothing fill the background. The people in the foreground are priests or devotees; no person is identified as a person.2010-07-24A homa ritual in a tent-like hall. In the centre, a man in orange robes and a rudraksha mala sits cross-legged before a square brick fire pit with burning embers and offerings. Beside him, a priest in orange and a seated attendant tend the fire. Standing priests in white dhotis with gold-bordered shawls, rudraksha malas and bare shoulders surround the area. To the right, a tiered altar with a deity murti and gold-framed images, brass lamps, and kalasha-like vessels. A red and green striped mat lies on the floor. Roughly ten people are visible.2015-09-14A homa fire ritual in an open pavilion with white pillars and hanging framed photographs. A fire burns in a square brick fire pit in the foreground, with brass oil lamps, bananas, mangoes, coconuts and flower-filled plates arranged around it. A man in white dhoti and shirt with a red-orange shawl over his shoulder leans over the fire, feeding offerings into it. Beside him, a man with long hair tied back, wearing a white garment and a rudraksha mala, stands holding a small item. Seated devotees in white and light clothes fill the floor and white mats, some with hands folded, and a child sits among them. A man in white with a rudraksha mala kneels at the right edge beside offering plates.2009-05-28A photograph of an outdoor homa fire ritual in a courtyard with a plain whitewashed wall behind. A white-clad priest in a white dhoti and shawl with a yellow sacred thread, a tilak on his forehead and a rudraksha-style mala, sits before a raised ritual altar of brick-like blocks decorated with flower petals and yellow turmeric marks, pouring ghee from a bowl into the altar with a ladle while speaking into a microphone on a stand. Two men in white shirts sit with folded hands, a man in a dark shirt sits behind, and an older man in white with folded hands sits at left. Heaps of wood and offerings lie at left, an orange cloth bundle sits on the mat, and banana leaves, flower garlands, brass plates, kalasha pots and a blue cloth cover the right side.September 05 20172017-09-05 +2 copiesSeptember 24 20122012-09-24A fire ritual in a temple hall. A standing priest in orange robes raises a flaming lamp high with both hands above a brick-lined fire pit. Beside him a kneeling assistant in orange holds a long-handled spoon, and a seated woman in a white sari with a gold border presses her palms together before a tray of fruit, bananas, sweets and flower garlands. Other orange-robed attendants and seated devotees stand and sit along the back wall, beneath a carved stone pillar and a hanging banana plant.2009-06-09July 06 20152015-07-06April 14 20182018-04-14 +1 copies