Skip to content
Nithyanandapedia
A photograph of a ritual scene indoors. A man in white dhoti and shirt with a white forehead mark sits in the centre holding a lit oil lamp, eyes lowered. Around him, shaved-headed priests in white garments, some bare-chested with gold necklaces, hold lamps or stand behind. A woman in white with a red bindi and a dark beaded necklace sits nearby. At the lower edge, women with long braided hair in white and orange clothing are seen from behind. On the right, a gold-trimmed wooden throne draped in orange cloth with red cushions and a fruit plate stands beside a white wall unit fan. Two people in the scene are seated near the throne, and the scene appears to be an aarti or puja. No person in the frame is confidently identifiable as a person from appearance, so the throne is empty of an identifiable occupant.

More like this

Open the gallery
October 22 20142014-10-22October 22 20142014-10-22 +2 copiesA photograph of a Hindu ritual scene in a hall. In the foreground, a man in a white shirt and white dhoti holds small oil lamps with lit flames above a golden tray of offerings. Around him, several people sit on the floor: a bare-chested priest with a white tilak on his forehead and a rudraksha mala, a woman in a white and green sari with a black beaded necklace, a woman in orange, and a child. Other participants in white dhotis sit with their backs to the camera. To the right, a golden seat is decorated with yellow and orange flower garlands, and a figure in orange robes sits on it, partly cropped. Golden ritual vessels and marigold garlands fill the frame.2010-10-18 +1 copiesA photograph of a ceremonial gathering indoors. On the right, a man with long dark hair and a rudraksha mala wears an orange saffron robe and sits on an ornate gold-and-red throne, eyes closed, a probable Swamiji candidate. Seated on the left and in front, several people in white dhoti and shawl clothing with white forehead markings and gold necklaces hold lit oil lamps in their hands. Two young women with long braids, one in a white sari with a yellow border, sit with their backs to the camera, and a small table with fruit and a bowl stands beside the throne. A white tower fan stands behind the group and dark blue curtains hang on the left.2010-10-22 +1 copiesA pada puja ritual in an indoor hall. Several people in white ceremonial dhotis and shawls sit on the floor around a gold-coloured stand holding brass vessels and a pink flower offering. A priest with a shaved head and vertical sandalwood marks holds a small lamp near the vessels. On the right, a figure in saffron-orange robes sits on a red-cushioned gold throne, his feet and hands visible; his face is not visible. A man at left raises a lamp above his head, and a woman in white with folded hands sits nearby. Two women with hair tied back are seen from behind in the foreground. A tray with fruit and flowers sits on a wooden cabinet behind the throne. Visible people: about 10.2010-10-19A photograph of a ritual gathering in an indoor hall with a plain pale wall and a black curtain at left. A man in saffron-orange robes, with a dark rudraksha mala and long swept-back hair, stands at right beside a golden throne with red cushions, holding a cloth. Seated on the floor before him are about a dozen people in white ritual clothes with yellow or gold borders and gold chains, several with sandalwood or vibhuti marks on their foreheads, some shaven-headed. A man in a white shirt with a black mala and a tilak sits centrally. A woman in white with a hair-braid faces away from the camera at lower right, and a long-haired woman in white with a yellow-bordered sari sits at left. A microphone stands at left, with a brass plate of offerings and a lit lamp in the foreground. A white tower fan and fruit on a table sit at right. The orange-robed figure is a person on the throne; the sign-free scene shows a satsang-style ritual with a lamp and offerings.2010-10-22 +1 copiesA photograph of a temple-style puja with several people seated before a raised offering table. In the centre, a bald man with a white tilak, moustache, white kurta and rudraksha malas holds a small oil lamp in cupped hands while gazing upward. Beside him, a woman in a white and green sari with a gold-rimmed border holds a brass lamp and joins her palms. Behind them, a priest wearing an orange shawl, a long mala and sandalwood marks on his arms sits near a microphone stand, and another man in white with a mala stands at right. Fruits and flower-decorated trays rest on a table at the top right, and more oil lamps glow in the foreground beside a silver offering plate of fruit and flowers.2010-10-22 +1 copiesA photograph of a pada puja ritual indoors. In the foreground, several devotees in white ceremonial clothes hold lit oil lamps (aarti) aloft, while others stand with palms joined in prayer. A man with a shaved head and sandalwood marks on his forehead wears a gold necklace and a white garment. Behind them, a tray holds fruit and offerings, and a richly gilded wooden seat draped with red cushions and an orange cloth is occupied by a figure in saffron robes whose face is not visible. Incense smoke rises in the background and a microphone stands nearby. The seat-occupant's identity cannot be confirmed from appearance, so no identification is made.2010-10-19A photograph of a ritual puja in an indoor hall. A shaved-headed priest in white dhoti and a gold-beaded necklace with a green-and-gold border holds a lit oil lamp and performs aarti with ash markings on his forehead and arms. Beside him a woman in an orange sari with a red bindi holds a lit lamp with hands pressed together, and other devotees in white and yellow clothes sit with palms joined. In the foreground, the backs of heads and hands hold silver plates with flower petals and offerings. At left, a gold-carved wooden seat draped with orange and red cloth sits beside the lamps. A white ceiling fan and a dark curtain are visible in the background.2010-10-21A photograph of a seated figure on an ornate gilded throne with red cushions, wearing an orange saffron robe and a dark rudraksha mala, with long swept-back hair. a person seated in meditative posture. Before the throne, a gold-trimmed low table holds a tray with fruit and flowers. In the foreground, several people in white ritual clothes with ash marks on their foreheads hold lit oil lamps and a brass aarti lamp, while women in front, including one with a braid, watch. The setting is an indoor hall with a dark curtain and an air cooler.2010-10-22 +1 copiesA seated man in orange saffron robes, with a rudraksha mala and a white forehead mark, sits on a red-cushioned throne-like seat at right, hands resting in his lap, while a plate of apples sits on a small table beside him. Several people kneel on the left in white and cream ritual clothing; a bald man in white holds a lit oil lamp aloft while another in orange raises a microphone, and a woman in a yellow shawl presses her palms together beside a second woman in a red-and-white sari who holds a lamp. Smoke rises in the air and brass plates hold offerings in the lower foreground. The background is a plain pale wall with dark drapes at left. Swamiji (probable): the seated man has a white forehead mark, long swept-back hair in a knot, an orange robe and a rudraksha mala, matching the page's satsang subject.2010-11-30A seated man in long swept-back dark hair, an orange robe and a dark rudraksha mala sits on an ornate gold throne, with a gold-tiered side table holding flowers and a small lamp in front of him. A group of about ten devotees sits on a red-patterned floor mat around a silver tray of offerings, several holding lit oil lamps or flower garlands. Most women wear white saris with yellow or orange borders and orange shawls, while a few men are bald and wear white dhotis. A white ceiling fan, a curtain and a window are behind them, and a bright orange cloth drapes a stool in the foreground. Swamiji (probable) is the central figure on the throne based on his long hair, orange robe and mala.2010-10-29