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A photograph of a fire ritual at an indoor ashram space with a crowd seated behind a low brick-and-stone fire altar. In the foreground a figure in an orange robe with long dark hair, and a person in white beside them, hold and offer items over the altar, which is decorated with white flowers and dried grass. A brass bowl with a wooden ladle sits on the altar. Several young boys in white and light shirts sit close together, one holding a small brass vessel. Behind them adults in white and pale clothes watch, some wearing glasses, and a man with a rudraksha-style bead necklace is seated among them. A homa-style fire ritual with a Gurukul initiation feel is visible, with the presiding robed figure matching the orange-robed appearance of a person.

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A homa fire ritual at an ashram, with a brick fire pit laid out in layers and flames rising from the centre, decorated with white flowers and dry grass. A man with long swept-back dark hair and a vertical tilak on his forehead sits on an ornate gold-trimmed seat, wearing a saffron-orange shawl and holding a small bowl. A microphone stands in front of him. Beside him, a woman in a white top and orange shawl is seated near the microphone. Around the fire, boys in white shirts and white dhotis sit cross-legged, several with hands in namaste or holding offering items, one wearing a rudraksha-style necklace. Behind them, a large crowd of devotees in white and colourful saris and shirts watches from a doorway. A brass vessel and copper pots sit on the mat near the fire. Probable Swamiji is seated at the centre of the ritual, wearing saffron robes and long hair, with a dark tilak and ornate seat.2006-10-02A large indoor gathering in a hall with a dim, warm light and paper lanterns hanging above. In the lower left foreground, a long-haired man in an orange robe with a white forehead mark sits speaking into a microphone on a stand. Beside him, a woman in a white top with an orange shawl sits in the front row. Below them, several young children in white clothes, some wearing thread and beaded necklaces, sit close together and look toward the speaker. Behind them, rows of seated and standing adults in white and orange clothes, many wearing rudraksha malas, fill the room. A man in white stands at the upper left by a doorway wearing an orange shawl and a mala, and a woman in a blue sari stands next to him.2006-10-02A photograph of a fire ritual at the Nithyananda Gurukul inauguration. A long-haired figure in orange robes sits cross-legged on a green mat in front of a square stepped structure of white bricks used as a homa altar, with offerings, brass vessels, a plate of flowers and clay lamps arranged before it. Beside the altar a man in a white shirt and orange shawl sits facing them, and several men in orange shawls and white clothes sit on the left. Behind them, rows of seated children in white shirts and dhotis fill the floor, with a crowd of adults and children standing in a doorway. Two standing men in white kurta-style clothing stand at the right near framed photo displays, and a sign reads Nithyananda Gurukul.2006-10-02A photograph of a homa fire ritual at an indoor gathering. In the left foreground, a person with long swept-back dark hair and a tilala-style mark on the forehead wears an orange saffron robe and sits with palms pressed together in prayer, appearing to chant. Probable Swamiji by the qualifying cues of long hair, saffron clothing and the presiding role at the fire. Before them, a brick-lined fire pit burns with flames, with brass vessels, a small oil lamp, a ladle and flower offerings arranged beside it. Around the fire, young boys in white kurtas and white dhotis sit with hands folded, and behind them a large crowd of devotees, mostly in white, fills the room with smoke drifting through. Partially visible figures at the right edge include an older man in white.2006-10-02A photo of a homa ritual in a bare concrete room. A long-haired figure with a shaved-looking back? No: a figure with long dark hair wears an orange robe with a gold-patterned orange shawl, seated at a white-draped altar with small oil lamps and brass vessels, facing a semicircle of children. Many children in white and white-and-colored clothing sit on the floor, some wearing garlands or beaded necklaces. A man in a saffron-orange robe sits at the right edge with a brass vessel, and a man in white and orange sits at the left edge. Adults in white stand near the door at the left, and a video camera on a tripod stands at the right, indicating a ceremony being recorded.2006-10-02A smoky indoor fire ritual in a white-tiled hall. A seated figure in orange robes with long dark hair holds a ladle or lamp over a square brick fire pit (kund) with a flame. Around the pit sit many children and young people in white, some with hands folded in prayer. A man in white with an orange shawl stands at left beside a wall display of framed photographs, and more people in white and orange fill the doorway behind. Brass vessels and a kalasha sit near the fire, with a green cloth beneath the seated figure. The seated orange-robed figure with long hair and distinctive ceremonial attire is a person presiding over a homa.2006-10-02October 02 20062006-10-02 +1 copiesA photograph of an indoor ritual space where a person in saffron/orange robes with long, swept-back dark hair sits cross-legged on an orange-draped seat before a fire pit (homa) built of bricks with flames rising, with brass lamps, a kalasha-like vessel, flower garlands and fruit on a teal cloth in front. Swamiji (probable) is seated centrally, wearing saffron clothing and long swept-back hair, presiding over the fire ritual. Around him, children in white clothes sit on the floor near the fire, with a man in white and a man in an orange top seated nearby, and a large crowd of devotees in white fills the room and doorway behind. A large banner on the left shows a smiling man in a white turban and the printed caption 'Nithyananda Gurukul (நித்யானந்தா குருகுலம்)' with the Nithyananda Dhyanapeetam logo, and a framed collage of photographs hangs above the doorway.2006-10-02A photograph of a fire ritual in a hall filled with seated children and adults. In the left foreground a figure with long dark hair wears an orange saffron robe and sits with palms pressed together, speaking into a microphone; the appearance is consistent with the a person, with long swept hair and saffron clothing as cues. Before him a brick-lined fire pit burns with flames, beside a brass vessel, a coconut half, a small oil lamp and white flower petals and strands of grass. Around them boys in white shirts and dhotis sit with hands folded in prayer, while a few adults in white kurtas and a woman in pale clothing sit among smoke-filled space behind them. The scene looks like a homa or yagna during the start of education.2006-10-02February 15 20102010-02-15Indoor ritual in a plain room with pale yellow walls. A man in white dhoti and white kurta with long swept-back hair stands at center holding a brass plate of yellow flowers, offering it to a seated child. A shaved-headed priest in orange robes and a rudraksha mala sits cross-legged at left, with a younger assistant in white beside him, next to a spread of brass lamps, fruit, and food offerings. Behind the altar, a framed portrait of a seated figure in orange robes is garlanded with marigolds and flanked by brass deity murti and kalasha-like vessels. Around twelve white-clad children sit on mats on the floor, several with white sacred ash marks on their foreheads, watching the offering.2007-10-212004 - First Sannyas Deeksha At AdiKailaasa2004-07-02