Skip to content
Nithyanandapedia
A dim temple hall shows a ritual in progress before a lit deity murti with a large white and gold ornate backdrop and a peacock-feather-style umbrella canopy. Two men in white dhotis stand at a stone altar with oil lamps, brass bowls and flowers. The man on the left, with bare upper body and white sacred markings on his shoulders and chest, holds a ritual implement. The man in the centre wears a white cloth on his head, a white shawl and a beaded mala, and holds a silver tray. Strings of small coloured lights and red and cream hangings decorate the walls.

More like this

Open the gallery
October 16 20102010-10-16October 16 20102010-10-16 +1 copiesA homa ritual is performed before a shrine decorated with deity murtis under a fringed canopy and string lights. Smoke rises from a square fire pit on a white base strewn with flower petals. A man in white dhoti and gold necklace sits cross-legged at right, extending his hand toward the fire, with a brass bowl beside him. A standing priest at left, wearing a white dhoti and holding a silver plate, offers materials into the fire. Other white-clad priests stand behind, and brass lamps and a kalasha sit near the shrine.2010-10-16Dim temple interior during a fire ritual. A standing priest in white dhoti and shawl with a gold chain holds an object over a dark stone platform where smoke rises. Behind him, another priest in white stands near a garlanded deity murti and multiple statues under an ornate canopy, with string lights along the walls. In the foreground, a seated man in white dhoti and shawl wears a gold mala, glasses and a bare upper body, extending his hand over the platform. Brass bowls, a small oil lamp and scattered flower petals sit on the white step. The scene suggests a homa or puja, with the figures in ritual white clothing.2010-10-16Night ritual photo under a corrugated metal roof. A shaved-headed priest in white dhoti and shawl with red border, wearing a beaded necklace, pours flower petals from a silver plate toward a large decorated deity murti of a multi-armed goddess with a crown, adorned with lace-like white and gold ornaments. Smoke drifts across the image, a small oil lamp burns at the lower right, and red string lights glow behind. A second person in a yellow garment stands beside him. The priest appears to be performing a puja or aarti offering.2010-10-16A photograph of a night-time puja at a temple shrine. In the foreground, a shaved-headed priest in white dhoti and white upper cloth with a red border holds a silver tray of grains or offerings with both hands and sprinkles them toward the shrine. He wears a gold-toned beaded necklace and a small tilak on his forehead. Behind him, two more priests in white dhotis attend the shrine. The shrine holds a large deity murti of a goddess with many arms, decorated with white flower garlands and a silver halo. A large ornate parasol-like canopy hangs above. Brass oil lamps burn at the lower right, and a string of coloured lights glows in the background. Several people in white stand at the left edge.2010-10-16A night-time homa or puja at a temple shrine with a large deity murti of Devi, multi-armed and adorned with white floral decorations and a garland, under a white canopy. In the foreground a priest in white dhoti and shawl with red border, gold chain and tilak, pours grains or offerings from a silver plate into the fire pit. Another priest in white kneels beside him, and a standing figure at right tends a brass lamp. Small oil lamps and flower petals surround the altar, with red fairy lights behind the left side.2010-10-16October 16 20102010-10-16A photograph of a shaved-headed priest in white ritual dhoti with red border and a gold necklace pouring liquid from a metal vessel over a deity murti. Yellow flower petals cascade down around the figure. Behind the priest stand multiple goddess murtis draped in white and adorned with garlands, one with a lion mount, under a white canopy, with a flame and smoke in the lower foreground. A second person in white stands partly visible at the left edge wearing a gold chain, and another figure is seen partially beside the murtis. The scene suggests abhishekam offering to a Devi murti during a homa setting.2010-10-16Night photo of a homa ritual at an outdoor pavilion. A bald priest in white dhoti and shawl with red border stands at a fire pit, pouring offerings from a silver plate onto the flames, with smoke rising. Behind him is a large deity murti with a crown and a decorated silver arch, flanked by smaller figures and ornamented altar backdrops. Brass lamps, a kalasha-like vessel, fruit and flower offerings sit on the stone platform. Two other white-clad attendants stand to the left, with strings of red and white lights in the background.2010-10-16A dim temple hall lit by oil lamps and a string of red lights. A standing figure in a saffron-orange turban, white shawl and white dhoti, with a dark beaded mala at the neck, holds a silver plate and raises a hand in blessing. In front of him a man in white clothes and a maroon undershirt kneels with his head bowed. Behind them, painted deity murtis in gold and red stand on the altar, with a brass oil lamp burning and offering trays set on the floor. The floor is covered with a white cloth edged in orange. The scene suggests a puja or aarti being performed, and the plate may hold offerings.2010-10-16Night ritual photograph at an outdoor homa or yagna pit. Two shaved-headed priests in white dhotis and gold necklaces kneel and stand at a white stone fire pit (kunda) with a dark square central opening, one pouring liquid from a metal vessel. Behind them, women in red and maroon saris and sitting devotees gather beneath strings of red fairy lights. On the right, a large deity murti of a multi-armed goddess with a silver-and-white decorated arch and an umbrella canopy is set up. Brass lamps, bells, a kalasha-style pot and flower petals surround the fire pit on a white cloth.2010-10-16