Skip to content
Nithyanandapedia
Night photograph of a stepped, red-tiered stone amphitheatre lit by white floodlights and strings of coloured fairy lights. A large crowd sits on the steps, many in white, orange and pastel clothing; several hold their hands together or raise them. In the centre foreground, a bare-chested man with a red headcloth and a gold-coloured garland walks down the grey stone steps toward the waterfront, wearing a patterned rust-brown wrap around his waist. Black stone lingam-shaped pillars or pedestals stand among the seated people. On the right, a lit illuminated structure and a banner-lined walkway frame the scene. The sky is dark.

More like this

Open the gallery
December 08 20162016-12-08December 08 20162016-12-08Night outdoor ritual at the Vaidya Sarovar healing pond, with rows of black Shiva lingas arranged on red-brick tiered steps and small brass vessels set among them. A bearded man in a saffron-orange turban and a long orange-brown patterned robe with a yellow-orange kalasha-style vessel nearby walks down the steps beside a man in a white dhoti with gold border holding a bright orange pot. On the right, a bare-chested man in a white dhoti bends forward over the lingas, while a crowd of devotees in white dhotis, saris and colourful dresses stands on the terraces with hands folded in namaste, under strings of lights. The scene shows a Rudrabhishekam ritual.2016-12-08Night photo of an outdoor ritual gathering at a stone-stepped pond area lit by string lights and floodlights. Seated on red tiered steps, a crowd of devotees in white and colourful clothing sits in rows, many with palms pressed together in prayer. Several black stone Shiva lingas stand on the steps in the foreground, with brass bowls and small lamps beside them. A lit colourful pavilion is visible on the right beside the water, and a white metal railing leads down to the reflective pond surface. A figure in orange robes sits near the lingas at the lower steps.2016-12-08Night photograph of a large outdoor ritual gathering at a stone-stepped sacred pond or ghat lit by bright floodlights and strings of coloured lights. In the foreground a single figure in a patterned shawl and dark wrap, with a garland, walks up the wide stone steps. Tiered rows of seated devotees, many in white and pastel clothing, fill the stands behind, some with hands folded in prayer, and small oil lamps stand on the steps. The scene is consistent with a Rudrabhishekam ceremony at a pond setting.2016-12-08December 08 20162016-12-08December 08 20162016-12-08December 08 20162016-12-08Night-time photo of a Rudrabhishekam ritual at the Vaidya Sarovar healing pond. On red-tiered steps lined with black Shiva lingas, brass pots and bells, a crowd of devotees stands and sits with palms joined in prayer; one woman in a dark patterned top and necklace looks upward with hands folded, and another in white stands nearby. Strings of lights run along the wall above. In the foreground, a bearded man in white dhoti with gold border carries an orange vessel down the steps, and beside him a man in a red turban, leopard-print cloth and garland walks with a stick. Many people are visible in the crowd, with a bare-chested man sitting on the steps.2016-12-08Night photo of a large outdoor ritual on stone steps lined with rows of seated devotees and many black Shiva lingas arranged on the steps. In the centre foreground a standing male attendant wears a leopard-print cloth over a red-brown dhoti, a heavy gold beaded necklace, and a red-and-black head wrap, with his hands on his hips. Devotees in orange, white, pink and teal clothing sit among the lingas, some with palms pressed together, and a few hold small oil lamps. Red flags, strings of coloured lights, bright stage lamps and a loudspeaker frame the scene, consistent with a Rudrabhishekam-style gathering. No individual in the scene is clearly identifiable as a person.2016-12-08December 12 20162016-12-12Night photo of a large outdoor Rudrabhishekam ritual at a stepped stone platform lined with rows of black Shiva lingams and brass pots. In the left foreground, a bearded priest in a white dhoti with gold border and a red-orange turban and sacred bead garland walks down the steps carrying an orange vessel. Beside him, a bearded man in white, a figure bowing low among the lingams, and a line of people with palms pressed together in namaskar stand along the steps. Many devotees in white, saffron and green saris and dhotis watch from the steps under strings of lights.2016-12-08