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Nithyanandapedia
April 24 2013

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April 24 20132013-04-24April 24 20132013-04-24Photo of a shrine entrance tucked among the thick aerial roots of a large banyan tree. A single flame burns inside a dark cave-like opening at the centre. In front sits a small dark granite step-stool with yellow turmeric marks and scattered white and yellow flower petals on the ground. Two pale concrete walls frame the entrance. At the right edge, a partially visible person in white dhoti holds a wooden-handled tool with a red metal blade. Two reddish fruits lie at the lower right, and red earth covers the floor. No readable signage or identifiable a person depiction appears.2013-04-24A dim night-time photograph of a sacred cave-like shrine beneath gnarled, exposed tree roots. A single oil lamp with a bright flame burns in the dark recess at the back. In the foreground, a small stone platform rests on the earth, scattered with yellow and white flower petals, and a yellow-flowered offering sits on a mound of freshly dug soil. A shallow plate holds a heap of sand or ash, and low pale concrete walls frame the pathway. No people are visible, and there is a faint white-clad figure at the far left edge only partly visible. A wooden-handled tool leans against the right wall.2013-04-24A shaved-headed man in plain white dhoti and white upper cloth with a red border bends forward at a low stone platform beneath a huge banyan tree with thick aerial roots and spreading branches. He appears to be tending a small offering, with a white cloth or whisk-like item placed on the platform beside a brass vessel. The black polished stone floor tiles in the foreground reflect the scene, and the ground is reddish dirt. The man is a priest or devotee; his face is not visible and no identification is made from appearance, so the a person field is unsure.2010-10-19A night-time photograph of a man in an orange robe with gold border and a white and red flower garland pouring liquid from a small brass vessel onto the trunk of a large banyan tree with hanging aerial roots. He is barefoot on a sandy path. A second person in white clothing stands partly visible at left edge. The tree trunk glistens with the poured liquid, and flower petals lie on the ground.2007-01-01Night photograph of a ritual at the base of a large banyan tree with thick aerial roots. A man in an orange-saffron cloth and a white flower garland, with a dark rudraksha-style necklace, holds a lit oil lamp flame and a small brass vessel beside a dark stone shivalingam at the tree trunk, which is decorated with red and yellow garlands and turmeric or kumkum marks. A person in white clothing with a camera stands behind him, and a few other figures in white are partly visible at the edge. Yellow flowers and green leaves lie in the foreground. The scene is lit by flame and a torch.2007-01-01December 11 20112011-12-11A dim, earth-walled sacred chamber beneath a large banyan tree, with a small oil lamp burning inside the dark opening. In the foreground, a shallow pit of freshly turned soil holds a yellow stone slab scattered with yellow and white flower petals. A small stone stool or altar sits centrally, also dusted with petals and a bit of yellow powder. Concrete walls frame the passage, and a brass plate of ash or powder rests on the left ledge. No people are visible.2013-04-24April 24 20132013-04-24Night photograph of a large banyan tree with many aerial roots and trunks, draped with a garland of yellow and red flowers strung between its branches. At the base sits a small concrete platform holding a row of lit oil lamps, with more small lamps scattered on the ground around it. No people are clearly visible in the frame apart from a partial hand at the right edge. The scene suggests a traditional lamp-lighting offering at a sacred tree, with the warm glow of the flames contrasting the dark background.2015-11-25A photograph of a homa at an outdoor site beneath a large banyan tree with dense aerial roots. A bare-chested man with long, swept-back dark hair, wearing a saffron-orange dhoti-style cloth, kneels on a mat and pours liquid from a long-handled silver ladle onto a fire pit built of white bricks sprinkled with marigold petals. A smoke wisp rises from the pit. A brass bowl, a small brass pyramid-shaped vessel, and a silver kalasha-style pot sit among the offerings. A second person in white, partly visible at the left edge, is seated beside a silver tray of flowers and vessels. The man's distinctive long hair and saffron clothing are visible; his identity is uncertain from appearance alone.2006-09-21