A seated priest in a white dhoti with a red border and a gold chain pours ghee or an offering from a ladle over a square homa fire pit in a dim hall. Behind the pit stands a large blue ceremonial vahana figure. A silver bowl and small brass vessels rest on the pit's edge, and a potted plant and steps sit in the background. The scene reads as a fire ritual or homa. One person is visible. - Nithyanandapedia

Nithyanandapedia

A seated priest in a white dhoti with a red border and a gold chain pours ghee or an offering from a ladle over a square homa fire pit in a dim hall. Behind the pit stands a large blue ceremonial vahana figure. A silver bowl and small brass vessels rest on the pit's edge, and a potted plant and steps sit in the background. The scene reads as a fire ritual or homa. One person is visible.

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September 09 2010

A man seated on a carved wooden stool with a cushioned seat presses his palms together in prayer beside a square fire pit lined with white and yellow-edged stone, into which a ladle or spoon is dipped. He wears a plain white dhoti with maroon borders, has a bare upper body, and wears layered gold necklaces and gold bangles. Behind him stands a blue-grey wooden vahana of a bull-like animal with gold-trimmed legs, draped with an orange cloth and a garland of red flowers, atop a red-draped platform. Silver bowls and a brass vessel with flowers sit nearby, and a ritual lamp is placed at the pit edge.

September 09 2010

A photograph of a temple courtyard with a square stone-rimmed yagna pit filled with dark ash or embers at the lower right. Behind it, a grey bull (Nandi) murti sits on a red-draped platform with an orange-and-gold cloth over its back, garlanded with marigold and white flower strings, and a silver vessel with a leafy plant stands beside it. On the left, a bald priest in white dhoti and shawl with red borders and a gold necklace sits cross-legged on the floor, with a second person in white partly visible behind him. Silver plates, bowls and a small silver kalasha sit on the floor near the fire pit, and a microphone stand is positioned at left. Red and white striped steps lead up in the background.

October 15 2010

2010-10-15 +1 copies

A photograph of a temple ritual outdoors. In the foreground a bald priest in white dhoti and shawl with red-bordered edges and a thick gold necklace sits on an orange mat, holding a silver plate with a lit flame over a dark coconut-like offering. Beside him a second priest with a shaved head and tilak sits partly behind. Silver bowls, a small silver bell and a brass tray with offerings lie on the ground near a dark stone basin. Behind them stands a grey vehicle-form murti draped in red and orange cloth and garlanded with yellow and red flowers, with a gold-rimmed tray on the red-covered dais. White-and-red striped steps and potted plants fill the background.

Night outdoor ritual at a stone fire pit lined with white tiles. A bald priest in white dhoti and shawl with red-and-white trim, wearing a long beaded necklace and white-and-red tripundra marks, extends his right arm over the pit, holding a ladle or spoon. A brass oil lamp burns in the foreground beside a brass kalasha-like vessel and a brass bowl. To the right, a wooden peetha-style stand is draped with yellow marigold garlands, purple flowers and a green silk cloth with red and gold border. Behind, seated devotees in white watch the ritual; banners with orange fringe hang from above.

July 11 2014

A photograph of a temple ritual at a shrine with red-and-white striped steps. A shaved-headed priest in white dhoti and shawl, with a red-bordered cloth and a gold chain, holds a silver plate of burning offerings and a lit flame toward a grey bull-shaped Nandi statue draped in an orange cloth and garlanded with red and yellow flowers. A younger attendant in white sits beside him wearing a garland. Silver bells, a small silver vessel and a bowl sit on the stone platform in front of a dark square pit. Potted plants and dark-stone deity figures appear in the background, with a red-draped altar behind the Nandi.

A priest in white ceremonial dhoti and shawl with a yellow border, wearing a gold-beaded necklace and a white vibhuti forehead mark, sits beside a smoking fire pit (homa kunda) and gestures over it with one hand while holding a small paper. In front of him are silver bowls of red and green offerings, a silver bowl of rice or grain, a silver lamp, a kalasha and a red flower garland. Behind the fire pit, a deity shrine area with a wooden carved backrest and potted plants is visible. No a person candidate is clearly identifiable by appearance; he is a priest performing a homa.

October 27 2011

A photo of a homa ritual at an ashram temple. A shaved-headed priest in white dhoti and shawl with gold-coloured sacred thread sits on the floor, holding a silver ladle over a silver bowl and pouring offering into a fire pit that burns at the right. Behind him stands a golden lion-shaped vahana beside a deity murti draped in garlands of white and orange flowers with green leaves, and pots of plants line the steps. Silver vessels, a open book, a silver bowl of yellow offerings and a plate of nuts lie on the floor in front. No visible candidate for a person is present.