Skip to content
Nithyanandapedia
A shirtless priest in a white dhoti and white head cloth holds a brass bowl with two white coconuts at a decorated shrine. He wears a long gold-bead necklace and a red thread on his wrist. Behind him stand several deity murti adorned with garlands, yellow and red flowers, and striped festoon garlands. A tall green palm-leaf decoration stands at right, and a fire pit or lit area with yellow flowers lies in front. A seated figure in a red head cloth and white-and-green garland appears at right. Ritual setting consistent with a navaratri homa preparation.

More like this

Open the gallery
A temple shrine decorated with yellow and orange drapery, strings of marigold and colourful garlands. Several deity murti are arranged on a shrine with golden arches, one central figure in red and green draped attire adorned with flowers. In the foreground a bare-chested priest in white dhoti and white head cloth holds a bowl with a dark green stone vessel over a smoking fire pit with offerings, performing a homa ritual. Another bare-chested priest in a white dhoti with gold border stands at right, arms folded, wearing gold bead necklaces. Palm fronds, brass oil lamps and flower offerings surround the scene.Two bare-chested men in white dhoti and white or saffron-striped headcloths stand at a fire pit (homa kunda) in a temple shrine, offering white coconuts into the flames. Behind them are three ornate deity murtis with golden crowns and multicoloured garlands, decorated with striped festoon hangings in red, yellow, green and purple. The men wear pearl and rudraksha malas and have white ash marks on their chests and arms. Golden pillars frame the shrine, and marigold petals lie on the altar. The scene shows a homa ritual with offerings.A temple ritual at a shrine decorated with striped yellow, red and purple garlands and orange drapery, with a tall palm-leaf torana on each side. Two bare-chested priests in white dhotis and white head-cloths stand before a richly adorned group of deity murtis, with yellow and marigold flower garlands and brass kalashas filled with offerings. The priest on the left holds a silver plate of white puffed rice or flowers. The priest on the right, with a rudraksha-style bead necklace, stands with palms pressed together in anjali. A fire pit with white ash lies in the foreground, consistent with a homa ritual. No one in the image is identified.A photograph of a temple puja inside a decorated shrine. Two bare-chested priests in white dhotis with gold-bordered edges and white head cloths stand at a fire pit; the priest on the right, wearing a gold-trimmed turban and a white beaded garland, holds a brass plate of offerings. Behind them, colourful tiered deity murtis with gold crowns and garlands of marigolds and red flowers are set on a red cloth-covered platform. Palm fronds frame the scene, and a purple cloth-wrapped object garlanded with white flowers and green leaves lies on a yellow cloth in the foreground. Painted red, yellow and white pillars, a gold throne and brass lamps surround the space.A temple ritual inside a decorated shrine at KAILASA Hyderabad. Two bare-chested priests in white dhotis with gold borders and white head cloths stand at left and right, one pouring liquid from a small vessel and the other holding a brass bowl. A third man in a yellow turban, bare-chested with rudraksha malas, stands at right beside a golden chair. Between them lies a large decorated deity murti in a red and purple sari with white and green garlands, on a yellow cloth. Behind is a shrine with a golden arch, a deity murti with a crown, flower garlands, potted plants, brass lamps and colourful striped cloth hangings. Palm fronds frame the scene.A photograph inside a temple shrine during a homa. On the left, a bare-chested male priest in a white dhoti and white head cloth holds a string or thread up with both hands, with a gold necklace and a rudraksha-style mala around his neck. Behind him is a gold-carved pillar and green palm-leaf decorations. At the centre is a tiered altar with three elaborately decorated deity murtis draped in red, green, yellow and white garlands and sashes, flanked by banana or plantain-style decorations, brass pots filled with flowers, and yellow marigold garlands. Coloured bunting in red, yellow, purple and white hangs above. A fire pit with visible flames burns in the foreground. Only one physical person is visible.A ritual scene inside a temple shrine with a golden carved frame and a central deity murti flanked by two smaller goddess figures decorated with colourful garlands and bright rainbow-striped mandala backdrops. Three men in white and yellow-bordered ritual dhotis stand before a fire pit, two bare-chested with rudraksha malas and gold chains, one wearing a yellow turban and white dhoti, holding and offering plates. A fourth figure on a gold ornate throne wears a red turban and a garland of green, red and white flowers. Marigolds and pots of offerings sit before the deities, and palm fronds are tied to the pillars.A priest in a white dhoti and white head cloth with a saffron border stands at right beside a bunch of ripe yellow bananas tied to a pillar. His bare chest bears white ash markings and he wears a rudraksha mala. Behind him, an ornate deity murti in red and gold draped attire sits on a decorated altar with floral garlands, multicoloured bunting, and small brass vessels with flowers. Palm fronds frame the pillars, and a small flame burns at the base of the altar. +1 copiesA ritual photograph at night inside a decorated mandap during a homa. Three priests stand bare-chested with white dhotis and rudraksha malas. The priest on the left, in a white turban and white dhoti, holds a brass plate of offerings over a fire pit, while the centre priest, in a yellow turban and yellow-bordered dhoti, holds a small brass vessel and the priest on the right, in a white turban, holds a brass bowl. Behind them stands a tiered altar with a deity murti flanked by colourful garlands, and a red-and-orange cloth covers a lit fire pit where an offering with a garland sits. Oil lamps and brass vessels rest on the floor and multicoloured bunting hangs above.Two priests in white dhotis and white head turbans perform a ritual before a richly decorated shrine of deity murti with multiple figures in red, gold and white garlands. The priest on the left, bare-chested with a rudraksha-style pearl mala, holds a small vessel and a flower-tipped offering while the priest on the right, also bare-chested with white sacred markings on his body, extends a brass pot of offerings. In front stands a pile of bright yellow bananas, and behind them hang festoons of colourful flower garlands and a golden pillar frame. The scene suggests a puja or abhishekam at a temple shrine.Photograph inside a temple shrine during a homa ritual. Four men in white dhotis with gold borders stand around a central fire pit where flames rise over a decorated pedestal. At left, a bare-chested priest with white sacred markings on his body and a white head cloth gestures toward the fire. Two men at centre and right, bare-chested with gold chains and beaded necklaces, hold brass plates of offerings; the centre man wears a yellow turban. Behind them stands a large gold-and-orange canopy with floral garlands and a colourful striped drape, framing a deity murti group adorned with yellow and red flowers and a garland of white and green blossoms. Golden brass lamps and a palm frond stand nearby. A seated figure in a red and multicoloured-striped shawl sits in an ornate gold throne at the right edge.A photograph of a fire ritual at a temple shrine. On the left, a bearded man with a white headcloth and a long dark rudraksha mala with gold ornaments holds a wooden bowl of round offerings beside a burning flame on a raised wooden altar. On the right, a bare-chested man in a white dhoti with gold border stands with palms pressed together in namaskar. Behind them stands a decorated deity murti with garlands and a colourful backdrop, a palm frond stands to the side, and a yellow canopy with floral garlands is overhead.