Skip to content
Nithyanandapedia
Outdoor fire ritual under a corrugated roof decorated with colourful paper lanterns and hanging tassels. A square golden fire pit (homa kund) burns at centre, with priests in white dhotis and white shawls seated around it. A bare-chested priest on the right in a white dhoti pours offerings toward the flames while devotees sit on mats. Behind them rows of people in white and orange clothing sit on the ground. On the left a red-and-gold throne with a red canopy stands beside a deity murti decorated with yellow flower garlands, and a figure in a red shawl sits on the throne. Baskets of rice, fruit and brass vessels sit on the ground in front.

More like this

Open the gallery
September 09 20162016-09-09September 09 20162016-09-09Outdoor homa at an open-air pavilion under a tin canopy with hanging red and orange lanterns. A bare-chested priest in white dhoti with a pink turban and a gold necklace sits before a golden fire pit where flames rise, feeding offerings with his hand. Beside him, a younger man in a white dhoti and orange shawl sits on a mat with brass vessels and baskets of offerings. Behind, a crowd of seated devotees in white clothes watches. On the left, a red and gold throne with a gilt frame and a painted portrait of a figure in orange-red robes with a rudraksha mala, and a large deity murti with garlands. Coloured umbrellas and a palm grove complete the scene.2016-09-09A large tented hall during an evening fire ritual. In the centre a wooden square fire pit with a bright flame sits on a red floor, surrounded by flower petals, brass vessels and garlands. A shirtless priest in white dhoti and an orange cloth kneels at the fire pit, tending the flames. Seated on an ornate golden throne with a red cloth is a man wearing an orange turban, a red shawl and a long beaded garland; a large multicoloured parasol stands behind him. Around him devotees sit on the floor in white and yellow clothes, and a woman in a maroon sari with a garland stands with folded hands at right. Colourful hanging lanterns decorate the ceiling and lights hang overhead.2016-12-05September 09 20162016-09-09A tented hall during a homa fire ritual. A bearded man in a red-brown robe with a garland of white flowers sits on an ornate golden throne with a red cushion under a striped canopy. A priest in white dhoti stands at left. In the foreground a priest in a saffron-yellow shawl and rudraksha mala feeds offerings into a wooden fire pit with visible flames, while another priest in white sits beside it. Baskets of fruit, plantains, coconuts and bundled twigs sit on the red floor. Hundreds of seated devotees, many in white and colourful saris, fill the hall beneath hanging paper lanterns and flags. Decorations and a golden backdrop frame the scene.2016-12-07December 05 20162016-12-05A large tented hall hung with colourful paper lanterns and tassels during an evening homa. A seated figure on a gold-and-red throne with a red turban and a garland of beads receives attention from a bare-chested priest in white dhoti and gold-bordered cloth who kneels at his side. In the foreground a bare-chested priest in an orange-yellow shawl and white dhoti sits beside a square wooden fire pit holding a small flame, gesturing toward it, with a basket of dried sticks beside him. Brass bowls, banana and fruit offerings, betel leaves and a metal dish of leaves sit on the red mat. A large crowd of seated devotees, many in white and orange, fills the hall.2016-12-07September 09 20162016-09-09December 07 20162016-12-07A large tented hall during a homa fire ritual. A central rectangular wooden fire pit with a burning flame sits on a red floor decorated with marigold petals and coloured rangoli. Seated on an ornate gold throne with a red cushion beneath a multicoloured parasol is a figure wearing a red-brown robe, white flower garland and rudraksha-style beads, hands folded in namaste; the figure's appearance matches a person with the throne and ceremonial dress cues. Standing near the fire, a bare-chested man in white dhoti with an orange headband bends over a tray of offerings. Around them, many seated devotees in white and bare-chested attire sit with hands joined, and a woman in a maroon sari with beads stands at right. Coloured paper lanterns hang from the ceiling and banana fruit, brass pots and flower offerings are arranged in front.2016-12-05A large tented hall with coloured paper streamers and lanterns hanging from the ceiling, filled with seated devotees in white. In the centre, a wooden homa fire pit stands on a red carpet scattered with flower petals. Two priests in white dhotis, one bare-chested and wearing a saffron shawl, stand beside the pit; a woman in a white cloth with a saffron wrap stands behind them and another woman in a yellow cloth sits in front. On the right, a seated figure in red and gold robes, wearing a garland and a black crown-like headpiece, sits on a gilded throne under a multicoloured parasol, flanked by attendants. Brass pots of fruit, flowers and lamps are arranged in the foreground, and a camera crew films the ritual. Identity of the figure on the throne is uncertain from appearance alone.2016-12-05