Skip to content
Nithyanandapedia
Night photograph of a homa fire ritual in a stone-walled courtyard. A priest in saffron robes with a horizontal forehead marking and a rudraksha mala sits cross-legged behind a burning fire pit with wooden offerings. Beside him, a second saffron-clad person with beaded necklaces sits near a brass plate and a tray of fruit, flowers and sweets. A figure in saffron, seen from behind, sits in the foreground. On the right, two boys in white dhotis with bare upper bodies and white forehead and body markings stand near the entrance. Behind them, seated devotees in white clothes watch the ritual, and several women in white saris are visible in the background. A brass lamp and a kalasha-style vessel sit on striped mats.

More like this

Open the gallery
February 15 20172017-02-15February 15 20172017-02-15February 15 20172017-02-15February 15 20172017-02-15Night-time homa at an open-air stone-walled area. A fire blazes in a brick-lined fire pit at lower left, where a priest in orange-red robes and rudraksha mala sits cross-legged tending the flames. Beside him another priest in orange garments with a red tilak and beaded necklaces sits behind a bowl of offerings. At right a shirtless boy in white dhoti with a sacred thread and red-marked forehead stands beside a silver tray of fruit, flowers, banana and orange, with another ceremonial tray nearby. Around the fire a crowd of about twenty-five people in white clothes and white head coverings sits on mats watching the ritual.2017-02-15February 15 20172017-02-15February 15 20172017-02-15A photograph of a homa fire ritual in an interior room with a brick wall and carved wooden doors. A fire burns in a wooden fire pit built from stacked logs with labeled pieces on the front. Seated around it on striped mats, several men in saffron-orange cloth wear rudraksha beads and sandalwood or vibhuti marks on their foreheads; one tends the fire with a ladle and another holds a metal bowl. A decorated tray with rangoli-style kumkum and flower designs, small cups and a kalasha-like offering sits nearby. In the background, children in white dhotis and white garments stand at the doorway, and a bare-chested adult with a white forehead mark is visible at the top. Two seated people in foreground have long dark hair.2017-02-15A photograph of a fire ritual inside a stone-walled hall, with a bright homa fire burning in a brick-lined pit on the left. Several seated participants in saffron-orange robes with rudraksha malas sit on colourful woven mats, one tending the fire and others holding offering plates. Beside them a decorated altar tray holds oranges, bananas, flower petals, and a kalasha-like arrangement. On the right, two bare-chested young men in white dhotis stand near the altar, and a figure in white clothing leans in. Behind, more people in white and orange sit in the background. Trays of fruit, ritual items, and a brass vessel are arranged around the fire.2017-02-15Indoor homa at a person ashram room with a burning fire pit made of stacked wooden logs and a bright flame at the lower left. Seated priests in saffron-orange dhotis with bare upper bodies and white tilak marks, wearing rudraksha and gold-coloured beads, tend the fire and offerings; one stirs a vessel. A woman in a white sari and a young boy in white dhoti with white-painted body and a girl in white stand in a carved wooden doorway at right, holding small items. Brass vessels, a decorated tray with flowers, and a plate of offerings lie on striped mats. No person is identifiable as a person by the cues described.2017-02-15February 15 20172017-02-15February 15 20172017-02-15