Skip to content
Nithyanandapedia
A photograph of a nighttime ritual set against a backdrop of small multicoloured string lights and a leafy plant arrangement. A bald, shaved-headed man in a saffron-orange robe with a draped orange cloth and a gold chain stands center right, holding and arranging a red-and-orange cloth over a long wooden pole; a white tilak marks his forehead. Two young men in white kurtas with yellow shawls and rudraksha malas stand beside him, one holding the pole. Green banana-leaf and bamboo decoration fills the left foreground, with bronze lamps and brass vessels on a table at right. Several heads of seated devotees in orange appear at the bottom edge. The scene suggests a homa or yagna setting, though no fire is visible.

More like this

Open the gallery
A night-time outdoor ritual stage decorated with strings of multicoloured fairy lights and a green banana-leaf frame. A bald man with a white tilak on his forehead wears an orange-saffron shawl draped over his head and shoulders, a gold necklace, and orange robes; he holds a folded orange-and-red cloth. Beside him, a young man in white kurta and yellow shawl with a rudraksha mala holds a red cloth and a staff-like rod, and another man in white with a yellow shawl and dark beads stands behind. Brass kalasha-style pots with orange and yellow flowers sit at the right near potted plants. Four people are visible in the scene, plus partially visible heads of seated devotees in the foreground.2009-09-26September 25 20092009-09-25 +1 copiesNight homa ceremony under a thatched open pavilion decorated with banana plants and leaves, with smoke rising in the air. A bald man in saffron-orange robes and a long gold necklace kneels at a fire pit covered with a red and gold cloth, his hands folded, while a man in white with a yellow shawl leans in beside him holding a ladle. Around the pit are brass pots, bowls, marigold garlands and yellow flowers. Seated along the left are men in orange robes with long beards and gold chains, and on the right a row of devotees in white clothes with yellow shawls and rudraksha malas watch and sit with hands folded. a person: the saffron-robed kneeling figure with gold necklace is presented as the ceremony's central officiant. A lamp hangs from the ceiling above.2009-09-25September 25 20092009-09-25 +1 copiesNight-time ritual in an open pavilion decorated with hanging orange and yellow paper lanterns, green leaves and fairy lights. At centre, a figure in saffron robes stands behind a low white-covered altar, with a red cloth draped over a raised ceremonial object; a man in white dhoti and yellow shawl stands nearby. Several devotees in saffron and orange robes sit on the floor in the foreground, one with a long braid, and a woman in a saffron-bordered robe sits at right. Brass kalashas, lamps and marigold garlands sit on the altar, with a deity murti and flowers at the right edge. Several participants are in yellow and white ritual dress, placing hands together in prayer.2009-09-26September 26 20092009-09-26July 07 20152015-07-07Night photograph of a Chandi Homa in an open-sided pavilion decorated with hanging orange ring lamps, string lights and banana leaves. In the centre, a man in a white dhoti and yellow shawl stands at a raised white platform beside a figure in orange robes with a red cloth draped over one arm, near brass vessels and offerings. On the right, a deity murti is garlanded and lit by string lights. Seated in the foreground are several people in orange shawls with dark red borders, including a woman with a long braid, facing the platform. Other people in white and yellow stand at the edges.2009-09-26September 26 20092009-09-26A photograph of a night-time puja inside a decorated pandal lit with strings of coloured fairy lights. A man in an orange robe with a shaved head and white forehead markings stands at the centre, behind a large red cloth draped over a ceremonial setup. A young man in a white kurta with a yellow shawl assists beside him. Several seated devotees in orange robes, mostly with their backs to the camera, sit in front on mats. Banana leaves and palm fronds frame the left side, and an ornate deity murti with a tiger-like lion figure and flower garlands stands on a table at the right, with brass vessels and fruit offerings nearby. The scene appears to be a homa or chandi ritual.2009-09-26Night-time homa at an open-air pavilion decorated with orange, blue and gold draped fabric, green leaf festoons and banana plants. A man in saffron-orange robes with a red-and-gold shawl, rudraksha-style garland, gold necklace and tilak stands at a fire pit holding a bundle of long dried sticks upright over the altar. Two young men in white dhotis with yellow shawls stand behind him, one holding a silver tray of fruit and flowers. Seated devotees in orange, some with yellow shawls, face the altar from the foreground, and a brass oil lamp with a bird finial stands at right. a person (saffron robes, gold necklace, shaved head with tilak) presiding over the homa.2009-09-26A smoky indoor puja hall decorated with banana leaves, mango-leaf strings and orange and green paper festoons. In the centre, a woman in an orange sari and gold necklace stands at a dark stone altar sprinkled with flower petals, holding up a red cloth over a brass vessel. Around her, young men in white kurtas with yellow shawls stand and kneel, and several seated people in orange robes with gold and bead necklaces sit cross-legged beside brass bowls. Brass lamps, a tray of flowers, plates of sweets and fruit, and a kalasha-like pot line the foreground. A crowd of onlookers in white and yellow watches from the back.2009-09-25