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Nithyanandapedia
July 16 2015

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May 12 20122012-05-12A bare-chested man with a shaved head kneels on an orange cloth before a shrine decorated with pink and white flower garlands and brass lamps. He wears a red-beaded necklace, a gold chain, an orange dhoti with gold border and a gold armband, and has white sacred ash on his forehead and arms. With one hand he sprinkles or offers from a silver vessel onto a tray of flowers and fruit. A metal kalasha and oil lamps sit on a marble platform, and a deity murti is visible in the background. Ritual worship at a temple shrine.2012-06-05A night-time temple puja scene. In the foreground a bare-chested priest with a sacred-thread cord and a red cloth wrap stands before a golden deity murti garlanded with white and red flowers, holding a plate in his hands. Behind him stands an older man in white with a brass basin. Another bare-chested man in a white dhoti with a green border stands at the centre, and a figure in white stands at the far right. The altar is draped in red cloth with yellow and red flower petals, leaves and small brass vessels spread across it. Scaffolding and string lights are visible in the background.2018-03-02A photograph of a Hindu ritual in progress. Two shirtless priests sit on the floor; the front-left priest wears a white dhoti with a green-bordered cloth over his shoulder and a beaded mala, while the seated priest in the centre wears a blue dhoti and mala and holds a green leaf and small offering toward a kalasha, a brass vessel topped with a coconut and tied with red and yellow flower garlands. Behind the altar stand a gold-framed arch, brass lamps and garlanded deity murti in pink and green drapery. Stacked orange-brown bricks, marigold garlands, a silver tray with fruit and sweets, and a bowl of petals fill the foreground. A third person in white sits at the right edge. This appears to be a puja or homa-style offering, with no crowd visible.2015-10-18A seated man in saffron-orange silk robes performs a puja on a floor covered with a speckled tile, holding a silver handbell in his right hand and a small object in his left. He wears gold chains, a red rudraksha mala and gold bangles, and sits on a brown animal hide. Before him is an arrangement of white and pink flowers, a garland with yellow balls, a brass lamp stand, a copper vessel with rice, a bowl of yellow flowers and a shell. Behind him a bare-chested man in white dhoti stands near a black leather sofa. The scene suggests a home puja setting. One man is visible, partly behind the seated figure.A photograph of a temple puja in progress. In the foreground a shaved-headed priest in white dhoti and shawl with a gold border sits cross-legged and performs a ritual, his arm extended toward a lit oil lamp and a small silver vessel. Behind him a large deity figure is adorned with red roses and garlands, a crown, a rudraksha-style mala and a gold necklace, seated in front of a yellow silk backdrop with gold-framed panels. Silver pots, a brass bowl and offerings sit on the altar in front. Visible white markings decorate the priest's arm and chest.2011-08-08July 13 20152015-07-13A photo of a homa fire ritual at night. A priest with a shaved-back dark hair knot, bare-chested, wearing a long red rudraksha mala and a yellow dhoti, sits cross-legged behind a brick fire pit bordered with red, yellow and white flower petals. He holds a ladle over flames rising from the pit, while smoke fills the air. A second person in white clothing sits to the right beside a microphone. Behind them are brass vessels, a bowl of rose petals, garlands, and a decorated altar with a deity murti.2015-07-16A photo inside a shrine of an elderly bald man kneeling and pouring water from a small silver vessel (kalasha) over a stone platform. He wears an orange-saffron dhoti with gold-edged borders, a rudraksha mala headband, white vertical tilak and ash markings on his forehead and bare chest, a gold bangle, and a gold earring. Behind him are pink and white flower garlands, a gold deity-form backdrop, and brass oil lamps. The bare-chested figure's distinctive adornments are not enough to establish a person's identity, so the appearance is uncertain. One person is visible.2012-06-05Temple ritual photograph: two priests perform worship before a deity murti decorated with garlands of white and orange-yellow flowers. The seated priest on the left, bare-chested with a white dhoti and beaded neck garland, watches while the priest in the centre, bare-chested with a blue cloth and white dhoti, holds a ceremonial whisk or fan over the altar. A brass lamp stand, brass vessels, and trays of flowers and offerings sit in front, with pink and green draperies and a gold-framed shrine arch behind. No identifiable a person figure is visible.2015-10-18A photograph of a shaved-headed man seated cross-legged on a red mat, bare-chested and wearing an orange-red dhoti with a gold border. He wears a rudraksha mala across his head and shoulders, a gold necklace, a gold armband and bangles, and white vertical tilak markings on his forehead and arms. He pours a golden liquid from a metal vessel over a brass abhishekam stand holding a small linga-shaped object, which is shown in a brass tray. Behind him is a shrine with a gold altar, lit oil lamps, a brass kalasha, and pink flowers. Another person's hands and wrist with a bead bracelet appear at the left edge.2012-05-11July 16 20152015-07-16