Skip to content
Nithyanandapedia
Two bare-chested priests in white dhotis stand with their backs to the camera, raising their hands toward a shrine of gilded deity murti. Both wear gold headgear, one with a green embellished cap. A large yellow marigold garland is draped over the shrine, and a red and gold cloth hangs over the murti. Ornate golden arches and a gold kalasha-style panel frame the scene, with brass oil lamps and lit wicks on the right and garlands on the murti. The murti are dressed in jewelled ornaments and bright garlands of red and white flowers.

More like this

Open the gallery
October 18 20152015-10-18Two shirtless priests in white dhotis perform a ritual before a pair of ornate deity murtis of Meenakshi and Sundareswarar, richly adorned with jewellery, crowns and white and yellow flower garlands. The priest at left, wearing a green embroidered turban, has his head bowed while another priest in a gold-coloured turban raises flower garlands toward the deities. Behind them stands a gold-framed altar and a bright green canopy with red drapes. The scene appears to be a wedding-style deity ceremony, marked by garlands, bejewelled murtis and ornate gold decoration.2015-10-18Two priests in white dhotis with bare upper bodies and gold-coloured headwear stand at a gilded altar, adorning a richly dressed deity murti with a jewelled crown and gold ornaments. Yellow and white flower garlands hang on the murti and the priests' shoulders. One priest, wearing a green cap and a gold-bordered cloth, handles the murti while the other, in a purple-bordered cloth, supports its side. A brass lamp with a lit flame stands at right beside a garland, and gilded peacock and temple-arch carvings frame the scene behind a red curtain. No devotee is visible in the frame.2015-10-18Two temple priests stand before a golden shrine adorned with ornate gold-leaf carvings, decorating a deity murti of Devi Meenakshi. The priest on the left wears a green and gold turban, a bare torso, a gold-bordered cream dhoti and a long gold sash, and lifts a garland toward the figure's crown. The priest on the right wears a gold turban and purple sash over a bare chest and reaches to place a jewelled crown or headdress on the murti. The deity wears a green sari, a rich gold and red-stone necklace, and is flanked by yellow marigold garlands and red-and-white flower garlands. A brass oil lamp burns at the right edge. Ritual decoration of a deity during a temple ceremony.2015-10-18A photograph of a temple ritual before three decorated deity murtis, each draped with flower garlands and gold jewellery, with a green cloth backdrop. In the foreground, a bare-chested priest in a white dhoti with a red border and a gold-coloured shawl stands behind a seated figure in a white dhoti, who has a green cap or headwear and bends forward. The standing priest holds up a long garland of white and yellow flowers over the seated figure's head, and a brass lamp stand and ornate gold throne-like seat are visible at the lower left and bottom. Tall brass lamps and gold-framed metalwork decorate the sides of the shrine.2015-10-18October 18 20152015-10-18October 18 20152015-10-18October 18 20152015-10-18A photograph of a temple ritual before a deity shrine decorated with flower garlands in yellow, white and magenta. Three gilded metal murti figures sit on a green draped platform, including a central deity wearing a white and gold ornament and two figures with red and gold crowns. In the foreground, two shirtless priests in white dhotis perform the ritual; the priest on the left wears a green and gold turban and the one on the right wears a gold turban and holds a garland. Gold ornamented lamp stands flank the scene and a gilded ornamental plate sits in the lower foreground.2015-10-18October 18 20152015-10-18October 18 20152015-10-18October 18 20152015-10-18