November 18 2016 - Nithyanandapedia

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November 18 2016

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Outdoor ritual on bare red-brown earth in a courtyard. A young priest in a white dhoti and white shawl sits cross-legged on a pink-and-purple mat, holding a brass plate of coconut, bananas, flowers and food and a small brass bell. Six women and one older man sit in front of him, several with palms pressed together in prayer. Women wear saris in pink, purple, teal and red, and one wears a pink shawl. Flower-decorated stone slabs, yellow and orange marigolds, banana leaves, coconuts, brass tumblers and cut sugarcane stalks lie on the ground. Whitewashed lines mark the ground. A man in white trousers and shirt stands at the upper right edge. No a person candidate is visible.

November 18 2016

A priest in a white dhoti and white shawl sits cross-legged on a red-and-pink mat on bare reddish earth, performing a puja. He holds a brass vessel and a small bell-like object, pouring or offering over a steel plate with coconut, bananas, betel leaves, red kumkum and sticks of incense or cane. Around him, six elderly and middle-aged women and men sit in a half circle: one in a pink sari, one in a purple sari, one in a blue-green sari, one in a pink shawl with a white-haired head, and an older man in white with hands folded in namaskar. Yellow and orange marigold garlands decorate stone slabs and offerings. A yellow-walled building and a white-shirted man stand behind in the background. Six people are visible.

November 18 2016

November 18 2016

An outdoor photograph at a dusty red-earth site beside a small stone shrine with a pillared canopy and a black Shiva lingam on a yoni base, under a leafy tree. In the foreground a mound of earth is decorated with garlands of marigold and red flowers, yellow and red powder, and green leaves, with an offering pot and cloth bundles beside it. A bare-chested man in white dhoti pours or sprinkles from a vessel over the mound while another man in white garments stands near him. Several other men in lungis and shirts stand watching, and a boy in a brown shirt is at the right. The scene is a rural puja at a memorial or sacred spot.

November 24 2006

Several men sit cross-legged on a white marble floor performing a ritual with brass plates. Most are bare-chested, wearing white dhotis with gold borders, and have white sacred ash marks on their foreheads and bodies. The man in front wears rudraksha malas and has a white tilak and tends small brass bowls holding flower petals, pink flowers and leaves on a mesh cloth. Beside him an older man with white hair sits on a red and orange cloth with pink flowers and offerings. Other men with orange or rudraksha necklaces sit nearby, and a seated woman in a yellow sari cradles a small child in the background. Steel serving counters and framed deity images stand behind them.

Outdoor ritual beneath a large banyan tree with aerial roots. A man in saffron-orange robes with a rudraksha mala and an orange head covering sits on a low white-cushioned wooden seat, holding a silver bowl of flowers and fruit. Nearby, a woman in a green sari with a red border stands with palms pressed together in prayer. A woman in a white sari with gold border bends over a brass plate of offerings and lamps, while others in purple and white saris hold brass ritual items. A man in white dhoti stands at right, and a crowd of devotees sits and stands around the sacred grove. Flower petals, brass lamps, bowls of fruit and a small kalasha-like vessel lie on the ground in front.

A photograph of a ritual preparation outside a temple-style entrance with dark wooden carved doors set in a grey brick wall. Two bare-chested men in white dhotis sit on a striped red and green mat; the central priest wears a white forehead mark, a yellow cloth over his shoulder, a gold-toned necklace and bangles, and is arranging offerings with his right hand. Before him are brass plates of yellow flowers, white rice, a bowl of oil, banana leaves, and garlands of white jasmine and marigold-like flowers in woven baskets. Behind, a standing attendant in an orange waist cloth bends over a brick platform holding a brass vessel, and a figure in a white dhoti with purple border stands at the right edge.

A photograph of a ritual scene outdoors. A figure on the left wears an orange turban, a long white jasmine garland, gold bracelets and a white bandage-like wrap on the arm, seated and smiling. Around him, women and devotees in white and orange-red shawls with rudraksha malas sit close together, several holding silver plates of offerings, small bowls and oil lamps. One woman in a red blouse and white sari holds a bowl near the figure, another in red and gold kneels with a tilak, and a woman in white with a red shawl pours from a bowl. Behind them, older devotees sit with hands folded in namaste. The setting shows a rope barrier and greenery, consistent with a puja or abhishekam gathering.

A homa fire ceremony in progress on a brick-framed fire pit decorated with red and yellow rangoli patterns and white powder. A priest in a red-orange turban, saffron-orange cloth, layered gold beaded necklaces and a rudraksha mala feeds a burning flame with a ladle, while seated devotees behind him in white clothes with red-orange shawls sit with hands in anjali. Brass and steel vessels, a kalasha-style pot with a coconut, fruit and an oil lamp are arranged around the pit.