Skip to content
Nithyanandapedia
Outdoor ritual at a temple-like setting: a man in a saffron-orange robe with long swept-back hair performs arati with a lit flame over a decorated deity murti (utsava murti) draped in flower garlands of yellow and white marigold and jasmine. Behind him a row of devotees in white clothes and lanyards stand with palms joined. The murti sits on an orange-draped table laden with fruit, bananas, coconut, brass plates, a carved watermelon and kalasha-style vessels, under a red and gold fringed umbrella. Corrugated structures and a mountain backdrop appear in the distance, with children watching at left.

More like this

Open the gallery
A photo of an outdoor puja at a table draped in orange cloth. A man with long dark hair and an orange robe holds a brass lamp with a rising flame and smoke toward a deity murti decorated with yellow and white marigold garlands and a red umbrella overhead. Fruits, bananas, coconut, flowers and a carved watermelon sit on silver plates before the murti. Behind the table, a group of about ten men and women in white shirts and lanyards watch, some smiling, with a red-roofed building and distant hills beyond.2009-12-23Outdoor photo of a ritual offering at a decorated cart. A figure in orange robes with long dark hair stands at left, extending arms over a white table draped in an orange cloth. The table holds bananas, green leaves, yellow and red flower garlands, flatbread, a sliced fruit offering and a brass pot with a woven covering. At right, a deity murti is adorned with heavy white and red flower garlands, a gold crown and a red-and-gold silk cloth under a fringed canopy. Behind them, men and women in white ritual clothes and devotees in white stand watching, and a concrete building stands under a pale sky.2009-12-23Outdoor photo of a ritual at a festival cart. A long-haired man in orange saffron robes stands at left with palms pressed together in prayer, facing a decorated deity murti with flower garlands on an orange-covered wooden cart under a red tasselled umbrella. Fruit, bananas, flower trays and a brass pot sit on the table before the murti. Behind, white-clad devotees with folded hands sit or stand, a fire lamp burns in a brass vessel, and a child in a patterned dress stands nearby. Dusty ground and low buildings form the background.2009-12-23Outdoor ritual scene at an ashram-like site with a bare dirt ground, a red and yellow umbrella overhead, and a white bus behind. A deity murti decorated with white and yellow flower garlands, a gold crown and a green cloth sits on a white table draped in orange, set with fruit, plantain, flower baskets, a brass kalasha-style vessel and other pooja offerings. A long-haired figure in a flowing orange robe with a maroon-edged shawl faces the table with an arm extended toward the offerings, while white-clad devotees stand around with palms pressed together in namaskar. Several men in white kurtas and lanyards and a bearded man in white stand nearby, with a few onlookers in the background. The scene suggests a procession or pooja for the murti. Water tanks and simple brick buildings are visible at right.2009-12-23Outdoors at a dusty site, a figure in a flowing saffron-orange robe with long dark hair stands at a white table draped in orange cloth, lifting a hand toward a deity murti decorated with white and yellow flower garlands and a crown. A red and yellow umbrella with tassels shades the murti, and fruit, flower offerings and a banana bunch sit on the table. Around the table, devotees in white clothes with saffron-yellow shawls stand with palms pressed together in namaskar, some wearing lanyards. Brick buildings and a water tank are behind, with a loudspeaker stack at the top of the frame.2009-12-23December 23 20092009-12-23December 23 20092009-12-23Outdoor photo of a festival procession: a utsava murti deity on a decorated wheeled cart draped in heavy white and yellow flower garlands, with a red and yellow fringed parasol overhead. A figure in long orange robes with long dark hair stands with back to camera at the cart, hands raised in devotion, with offerings of fruit, flowers and a leaf-plate of food on an orange cloth. Devotees in white with prayer hands surround the cart, and a man with a beard in white stands nearby. A small flame burns at the left, and a bus and rooftop water tanks appear behind, with trees and a dirt field.2009-12-23December 23 20092009-12-23December 23 20092009-12-23December 23 20092009-12-23Outdoor ritual photo beside a palm grove. A man in orange robes with long dark hair stands at left, raising a lit camphor flame toward an altar table covered with an orange cloth. Fruit offerings of bananas, apples, mangoes and a pineapple sit on brass trays, with brass vessels and flower garlands. Behind the table, a deity murti in a decorated palanquin with a crown, white and yellow flower garlands and colourful drapes is worshipped. Several men in white shirts and dhotis stand with folded hands in devotion, and a small golden shrine and a white van appear in the background.2009-12-23