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Nithyanandapedia
August 31 2017

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Night ritual on a striped cloth floor in a temple hall. A bare-chested man in a dark red cloth kneels with his back to the camera, bending over a wooden platform from which thick white smoke billows upward. Beside him, a man in orange with a wrapped orange turban and long matted hair sits cross-legged near brass plates and bowls. Rows of small red-and-black oil lamps line the left foreground. Further right, a man in orange and white headwear sits behind a large engraved silver pot. Several other seated men in orange and saffron clothing and rudraksha malas watch the smoke ritual.2017-08-31A large plume of white smoke rises from a square fire pit lined with stones on a green-and-gold cloth-covered platform inside a dimly lit hall. A seated figure in orange robes with a tall orange head covering kneels beside the pit, and a silver bowl and brass lamps sit near the base. Behind them, several people in orange and white clothing sit on striped mats facing the fire, and a robed figure in orange stands near the back. A flat-screen monitor is visible at left, and a silver vessel stands at lower left. This is a photograph of a smoke-purification ritual using burning cowdung, with the kneeling figure tending the fire.2017-08-31August 31 20172017-08-31Photograph of a night ritual in a pavilion, with thick white smoke rising from a fire pit of cowdung cakes in the left foreground. A bare-chested priest at left sits with palms pressed together toward the smoke. A seated figure at right wears an ornate silver crown, rudraksha beads, bangles and a saffron-orange wrap, with hands at the chin and a long dark braid. He sits on a silver chair beside a silver tray holding a lamp and offerings. Other seated devotees in orange garments and a few onlookers sit in the background, with orange cushions and a small oil lamp on the floor.2017-08-31Outdoor ritual homa at dusk beside a red-roofed building. A yellow-green rectangular fire pit with a large flame and smoke sits on a striped cloth. A bare-chested man in a saffron cloth and rudraksha garland sits at left, with an orange-clad assistant beside him. At right, a man with long hair and a white headband, wearing a dark red wrap and a bead garland, sits and holds a ritual implement over a brass tray. Rows of small clay lamps line the foreground, and a large engraved silver vessel stands at right. Several people in orange and red head cloths sit in the background. a person appearance is uncertain.2017-08-31A photograph of a ceremony in an open courtyard with red-painted walls. A large square yellow-ochre fire pit with a burning blaze sits on striped cloth. Several people in saffron-orange robes and orange headcloths sit cross-legged in rows, some holding malas, while a bare-chested man in front works near the flames. Behind the fire, a figure in red-and-white clothing with a crown-like headpiece sits on a raised platform with a fire and a bell-shaped stand. A large ornate silver vessel with relief figures stands in the foreground beside a row of small brass lamps and a bowl of offerings.2017-08-31A photograph of a ritual at a Siddha-style preparation, with a large cloud of white smoke rising from a heap of dried cowdung cakes stacked on a brass tray in the foreground. Several shaved-headed young men in saffron-orange dhotis and orange turbans sit around the tray; the nearest wears beaded white and silver necklaces, and another, with white ash marks on his forehead, sits to the left. One seated man in orange pours or tends metal bowls and steel vessels. Behind them, seated devotees in orange and red garments and a cameraman with a tripod-mounted camera watch the proceedings on a patterned mat. Brass plates, a burning fire pit at right, and flower petals on the tray complete the scene.2017-08-31A smoky night homa at a temple campus. A square fire pit lined with white marble glows orange in the centre. Several people in white dhotis and shawls sit around it, one holding a brass plate of offerings. In the foreground, a figure in a long saffron-orange robe stands near the fire, and another saffron-robed attendant stands further back. Brass vessels, a kalasha-like pot, small lamps and flower offerings sit on the floor. Hazy smoke fills the upper scene.2010-11-05Night photograph of a homa at an outdoor ritual site. In the foreground a large fire burns in a shallow metal vessel on a striped pink, green and blue cloth. A priest in red-brown robes and an orange turban sits beside it, holding a small vessel. Behind him a second figure in orange stands near rows of statues draped in yellow garlands, with flower offerings on the cloth. A red canopy with gold fringe and a large brass pot in the foreground frame the scene. A cameraman in brown clothing works at the right edge.2018-01-31A photograph of a ritual at a fire-and-smoke purification rite. Dense white smoke rises from a stack of flat cowdung cakes arranged on the ground at the centre-right. A man in orange clothing with an orange head wrap and white forehead markings leans over the stack, holding a metal vessel with one hand. Around him, orange-clad priests and devotees sit on the floor, some in orange head wraps and rudraksha malas; a woman in an orange sari stands behind a video camera on a tripod at the left. Brass plates with flowers, lamps and offerings sit on a cloth in front. Behind them, people in white kurtas sit on coloured mats. The scene reads as a Siddha-style pudamgaatal smoke purification with cowdung fuel.2017-08-31A homa fire ritual in a large hall filled with smoke. A yellow-framed fire pit burns at the centre, with brass bowls of offerings and flowers around it. Three young men in white dhotis with rudraksha malas sit cross-legged behind the pit, hands folded or in prayer. To the right, a priest in red-brown robes with gold trim and a red turban stands at the fire, bare-chested with white markings on his arm, while another attendant in orange garments stands beside him. Seated devotees in white and orange fill the background.2014-09-06January 31 20182018-01-31