Skip to content
Nithyanandapedia
A photograph inside a decorated temple hall during Navaratri, with string lights and pink and maroon draping overhead. Tiered red shelves behind hold many small deity figurines and dolls, a golden lion-form pillar stands at left, and a golden lamp stand sits in front of the shelves. A speaker on a stand is at centre. An orange-robed man stands near the speaker. At right, a bare-chested man in white dhoti with sacred markings and a woman with hair in a bun and a rudraksha mala sit on the floor, and a man in white dhoti bows forward. Ritual offerings in lamps and trays of yellow marigolds are placed on the floor, and a small table at left holds brass bowls with flowers. Visible people are about five.

More like this

Open the gallery
A photograph of a Navaratri celebration in a temple pavilion decorated with strings of lights, pink and maroon drapes and a hanging yellow-and-black banner. Behind the scene, tiers of Bommai Golu dolls and figurines are arranged on red-draped steps, with golden lion-pillar carvings flanking them. Several figures are seated on the floor in front of a flower-filled offering stand with yellow marigolds and small decorated pots. A priest in an orange robe with a rudraksha mala stands near a microphone, while men in white dhotis, one with bare chest and sacred ash, bend or kneel in worship. A standing deity murti in red and gold draped attire stands at left and a small gilded shrine sits center. Oil lamps and a blue water jug are visible on the floor.2017-09-26A festival hall under a pink and white tent canopy strung with multicoloured fairy lights. Tiered red-draped steps are crowded with rows of small painted deity murti and figurines in bright colours. In the centre stands a silver canopied palanquin or pedestal with a gold-framed arch, and a large gold-coloured figure stands on the right beside a golden kalasha-like ornament. Several women in white sarees with red headbands sit on the red carpet at the lower right, facing the display. A white curtained backdrop and ceiling fan complete the scene.2017-10-01October 01 20172017-10-01Festive Navaratri scene at a temple hall lined with a tiered golu display of dolls and figurines under fairy lights. Four men stand in white dhotis with coloured borders, bare-chested with sacred threads and necklaces; one wears a purple shawl and another a lavender-striped dhoti. A seated man in a yellow-orange shawl sits before a silver throne-like seat decorated with pink and yellow flower garlands, with brass oil lamps in front. Gold and red ornate deity shrines and a decorated altar appear at right, and a large deity figure stands at left.2017-09-26 +1 copiesA festive indoor hall under a pink and red fabric canopy shows a tiered display of many small golden and painted clay figurines (golu-style dolls) arranged on red-draped steps, lit by multicoloured fairy lights. In the centre stands a golden deity murti with a pale-pink figure and a golden ornate throne/peetha nearby, with silver palanquin-like canopies and a seated golden lion or guardian figure. Gold pillars and carved gold panels frame the scene. At lower right a woman in a cream sari with a red headband sits on the red carpet, and metal stanchions with chains mark off the display. Her position is partial, so she is counted as one visible person.2017-10-01Photograph of a ritual hall decorated with red and gold drapery. In the background a seated figure in a saffron-orange cloth sits on a raised gold throne beneath a floral arch, with a golden umbrella above. On the right, a deity murti is dressed with white and multicolour flower garlands and a silver-embellished shrine. Several men sit on the floor in the foreground in white dhotis and garlands; one bare-chested man at left bends toward a ritual setup of flowers and a brass vessel, another in a blue-bordered dhoti sits nearby, and a man at right in an orange shawl holds a microphone. Brass lamps and ceremonial staffs line the space, with plates of offerings at the lower left.2015-10-18July 17 20152015-07-17January 12 20092009-01-12Night-time outdoor ceremony on a raised stage before a seated audience. Behind the stage, a tiered wall of small shrines holds many deity murtis garlanded with marigold and jasmine strings, with a large illuminated shrine canopy at the top centre. On the stage, several people stand near a silver ornate palanquin-style shrine and brass kalashas. A man in white dhoti and shawl holds a microphone at centre; a bare-chested man in orange-red dhoti stands beside him; a woman in red sari and another in white sari and red-bordered dress stand or sit nearby. Several people in orange and red robes sit at the front edge of the stage, and a dense crowd in saffron, white and orange clothing sits in the foreground.2018-03-03A ritual abhishekam in a hall with a red-carpeted floor. Several men in white dhotis with gold borders stand and bend around a deity murti under a red and gold canopy draped with marigold garlands. Ritual offerings of fruit, flower-garlanded kalasha pots and brass vessels fill the foreground. To the left, a group of young people in saffron/orange robes and rudraksha malas plays drums, with one standing figure holding a long pole. The white-clad priests have bare upper bodies and sacred threads, and the scene is decorated with banana leaves and yellow marigolds.2018-04-14A temple-style ritual hall with white canopy draping, where several people in white and rust-coloured clothing attend a ceremony around a blue-skirted altar heaped with yellow flowers. At centre, a metal deity murti is decorated with orange and yellow marigold garlands, and to the right a gilded throne backs a seated deity figure hung with garlands. A bare-chested priest in white dhoti and orange shawl sits at left beside brass vessels, flower pots, and fruit offerings. A standing man in white dhoti with a gold-trimmed cloth and a kneeling figure with orange wrap and rudraksha are among the participants, with microphones on stands in the foreground. The scene appears to be a samaya deeksha homa ritual.2015-07-17July 17 20152015-07-17