Skip to content
Nithyanandapedia
A seated priest in a temple shrine performs a puja, sitting cross-legged on a black marble floor. He is bare-chested with white dhoti, a gold and red patterned headband, and layered rudraksha malas with a gold necklace. A woman in a cream sari with gold border stands behind him holding a phone. In front of him is a yellow silk cloth holding a conch shell, a silver box and brass bowls, and a red silk tray with brass sandals. Two small bronze figures of a deity and consort stand on a marble base, and a large golden elephant relief and a dark deity murti with marigold garlands and rudraksha malas decorate the shrine.

More like this

Open the gallery
A seated man in a tall gold-and-red ornate headdress, bare-chested with a white dhoti edged in gold, wears layered rudraksha malas and a heavy gold necklace with red tilak on his forehead. He holds a brass lamp-like vessel in one hand while a second person's arm extends from the left, offering a plate with a lit lamp. Before him on a black tiled floor stand two gold-finished deity figures, one in red and one in maroon, with a yellow and blue cloth and brass ritual items laid out. A wall of small black murtis in orange and white garments, floral garlands and a green-clad deity image complete the shrine setting.A shirtless priest in a white dhoti with an orange-and-white border stands at left, holding a brass lamp with a lit flame in front of a shrine. Sacred ash markings are on his chest and arms, a metal headpiece sits on his head, and a beaded chain hangs at his neck. Behind him are golden deity figures and a golden elephant-like sculpture. At right, a black linga is draped with white and red flower garlands and rudraksha-style beads, with a red-and-white striped band across its face. Small brass and metal figures stand on black plinths beside it. On the lower table are brass plates with flower petals, small lamps, a bell and offering vessels. The priest is not a person by appearance cues.2024-09-22A photograph inside a temple shrine with gold-painted carved pillars and red and navy drapes. A bald, bare-chested older priest in a white dhoti with a gold border stands at a deity arrangement, one hand extended over a black linga draped in flower garlands and rudraksha malas. Behind the linga, a gilded seated figure in a rust-red robe, red turban and layered beaded necklaces sits on a throne flanked by a four-armed deity and a figure in purple. Brass puja vessels, copper cups, a brass bell, lamps and small metal figures sit on a white altar in front. The scene shows a daily puja at the shrine.2024-02-20A photograph inside a gold-decorated temple shrine. A bare-chested priest in a white dhoti stands at the lower left, reaching toward a brass figure beside a black Shiva lingam draped with marigold garlands, a rudraksha mala and a pink cloth, with a row of steel bowls and a brass plate of offerings in front. Behind the lingam, a deity murti in red and pink garments sits on a lotus-shaped seat, adorned with flower garlands and framed by hanging marigold-and-rose strings and golden curtains. A black bull figure appears at the lower right. The scene suggests abhishekam and puja.Photo of a puja inside a temple shrine. A shirtless man with a topknot and rudraksha malas, wearing a white dhoti, stands at left holding turmeric or saffron in his palm over a brass plate of bananas. Seated at right on a blue cushion, a woman in a white sari with a gold border and glasses, with a red bindi, holds a gold plate of flower petals and turmeric. Behind them a woman in a purple sari holds a tray of bananas, pineapple and grapes before a deity murti draped in a red and gold silk garment, decorated with pink roses and a garland. Brass oil lamps, a kalasha-style vessel, incense and marigold petals lie on the floor mat and tiles. Black and gold temple walls frame the shrine.A priest in a white dhoti and a colourful headdress stands at left, bare-chested with a pendant on a cord, holding a brass arati plate with a lamp in one hand and ringing a brass handbell with the other. Behind him, a large gold-decorated shrine with golden curtains and carved guardian figures frames a central seated statue wearing a red turban, red robe and layered beaded necklaces, flanked by a deity murti with a crown. In front, a black Shiva lingam is decorated with yellow and red marigold garlands and a rudraksha mala, with brass vessels, flower offerings and a small lamp on a white altar. A dark Nandi statue with bells and a pink cloth sits in the foreground, indicating a daily puja.2025-05-09A photo inside a gold-decorated shrine where a bare-chested elderly priest in a white dhoti with a gold border stands at left, holding a lit oil lamp toward a central figure. The central golden statue seated on a throne is a depiction, adorned with a red and gold turban, rudraksha and gold necklaces, and garlands of white and orange flowers; it is a statue, not a physical person. Behind it stands a golden deity murti with a crown and a consort figure in purple, both garlanded. A black Shivalinga draped with a green cloth, garlands and rudraksha sits before the statue, with a black Nandi bull statue wearing an orange cloth and flower garland at right. Brass vessels, trays, a kalasha and bottles of sesame oil lie on the marble floor. Gold lions flank the shrine, and red and black drapes hang at the sides. A sign reads Kailasa Toronto.2024-02-20A photo inside a temple-like room with a golden statue of a mythic beast and a shelf of small brass deity figures behind it. In the foreground a woman in a maroon and gold silk sari with gold bangles and earrings sits with her hands clasped, facing a brass puja tray that holds an ornate padukas-style wooden sandal pair, marigold petals, a small lamp and kumkum. Beside her, a bare-chested man with a grey beard and glasses, wearing white dhoti cloth and several beaded malas, sits cross-legged facing the tray; his appearance does not clearly match the a person cues, so he is described only as a priest or devotee. Garlands of white flowers and orange marigolds hang on the right beside a blue curtain, and a brass kalasha vessel and a murti of a seated deity sit on the altar.A shirtless priest kneels at the left of a gilded shrine, holding a lit oil lamp in a silver dish and an incense stick, while smoke rises from the lamp. He wears a white dhoti with a yellow border and a black rudraksha-style mala. In front of him are brass vessels, flower garlands, and offering plates. The central deity murti is dressed in red and white silk, draped with red and white flower garlands, a large bead necklace, and a crown-like headdress, with a trident-like emblem visible. Smaller pink-and-red clad murtis stand on gold pedestals beside it, decorated with garlands and jewelry. Marigolds and yellow flowers adorn the shrine, and a gold-framed background of golden decorative panels completes the scene. This appears to be a puja or aarti in progress at a temple shrine.2024-09-29A photograph inside a temple shrine room. An older man with a bare upper torso, a white dhoti, a rudraksha mala and a wristwatch stands bent over at a white counter, pouring liquid from a brass vessel onto a metal tray. The tray holds a small figure decorated with orange and white marigold garlands and a red cloth. Brass oil lamps, a small brass pot and steel bowls of offerings sit nearby. Behind him, golden deity figures and statues stand on pedestals, and a sign reads KAILASA TORONTO CANADA. The setting is a ritual abhishekam or puja.2024-11-16Indoor temple puja scene with gilded shrine decorations, a golden lion-like carved pillar and a central deity murti with a shivalinga-style form draped in marigold and jasmine garlands and rudraksha malas. A bare-chested priest in white dhoti and an ornate headdress sits cross-legged at left, waving incense smoke over offerings. A woman in a white sari with flowers in her hair sits at right with palms pressed together in prayer before trays of bananas, apples, grapes, oranges, a pineapple, a coconut with jasmine garland, marigolds and pink flowers. Lit oil lamps sit at lower left and a yellow sign reading KAILASA is visible at right. Background shrine figures include a standing deity pair with a red-and-gold clad figure.Inside a temple shrine, a shirtless male priest in a white dhoti bends over a black Shivalinga on a dark stone yoni base, pouring or applying offerings during abhishekam. A woman in a white blouse and white saree with gold border stands at left holding a tray. Behind them a golden Nataraja-style deity murti with a gold arch is garlanded with red and white flowers, flanked by a standing deity murti at left holding a trident and a standing deity murti at right in pink and gold draped with a white and yellow flower garland. Brass bowls, a red cloth and an orange bucket sit on the gold-painted platform, and a gold-painted homa or offering box with a white cloth and pink flower stands on the red floral carpet in front.2024-01-06