Skip to content
Nithyanandapedia
Night outdoor homa or yagna at a temple courtyard. Several priests in white dhotis and bare upper bodies tend a square fire pit with a flame, ringed by marigold garlands and red flower decorations. One priest in the foreground wears a rudraksha mala and holds a brass bowl, while another behind him pours or stirs near the fire. Brass plates, banana leaves, fruit and offerings sit on the ground. Behind them, a deity murti in a shrine with lit lamps and a painted backdrop, and a gold-framed deity image with flower garlands sits on a red-draped platform at right. Scaffolding frames a building under construction.

More like this

Open the gallery
Night-time homa ritual in an open-air temple courtyard with a shallow fire pit in the foreground, ringed with marigold garlands and red flower petals. Several shirtless priests in white dhotis with yellow borders stand around the flames; one holds a small brass vessel and another raises a tapered ritual implement, while a third has hands folded in namaskar. To the far right an older man in a blue-bordered white dhoti tends a table draped in red and covered with flowers and fruit. Behind the fire, a shrine on the left holds a colourful deity murti framed by a decorated arch, and white scaffolding and pillars line the hall. Offering plates, a brass lamp, and a yellow cloth bundle sit on the ground.2018-03-02Night-time Hindu fire ritual outdoors in a temple courtyard. Several priests in white dhotis and shawls perform a homa at multiple square fire pits edged with marigold garlands and red flower petals. A seated priest in the foreground with a bare chest, rudraksha mala and white shawl holds a ladle near a small brass vessel. A bare-chested man in a yellow and blue striped cloth at right holds his hands together. Behind, a shrine displays a deity murti under a decorated arch, with red curtains and kalasha-style offerings on a red-draped table. Coconuts, fruit and brass plates sit on the stone platforms.2018-03-02Night-time outdoor homa at a temple-style setting. In the foreground a bare-chested priest in white dhoti with a yellow-bordered cloth sits beside a flaming fire pit ringed with marigold and red flower garlands, pouring an offering from a small steel bowl. Behind him another priest in white dhoti and gold-bordered cloth stands tending the ceremony, and a third figure kneels at a second fire pit further back. A red-draped table holds flowers and petals, and fruit and brass vessels sit on the ground. Scaffolding and red curtains frame the scene.2018-03-02March 02 20182018-03-02March 02 20182018-03-02Night-time fire ritual (homa/yagna) at a temple courtyard. A shirtless man with a striped yellow-and-blue dhoti and a rudraksha-style necklace stands with palms joined before the flames. In the centre, a bald priest in white dhoti with a saffron-and-gold shawl pours offerings into a burning fire pit. A kneeling person in white clothing bends over the fire pit. Fresh flower garlands in red and white, fruit, and marigold offerings lie around the raised platform. Behind them, a shrine holds a deity murti with a garlanded image beside it, and white pillars line the colonnade. A man in white stands at the right edge holding a metal vessel.2018-03-02April 28 20172017-04-28Night-time outdoor homa at a temple courtyard: a large fire burns in a square, flower-garlanded fire pit (kund) with marigold and red flower garlands around its rim. Several priests in white dhotis and shawls stand around the pit; one bare-chested priest in an orange-yellow dhoti holds a ritual vessel and another in white performs offerings, while one with folded hands stands nearby. A bare-chested man with folded hands and a shaved head stands at right beside a golden-framed deity murti decorated with flower garlands on a red-draped platform. Fruits, coconuts, brass plates and kalasha-type vessels are arranged on the ground, with scaffolding and pillars behind. No one visible with distinctive a person cues is identifiable from appearance, so no candidate is marked.2018-03-02A night homa fire burns in a raised yellow-painted fire pit, with flames rising from the logs and dried grass scattered across the platform. Four people sit around it: a shaved-headed man in orange clothes with rudraksha beads on the left, a young man in a white dhoti and white shawl with rudraksha beads on the right, and two others in orange garments behind the fire. One of the men in the middle has a yellow turban and is feeding the fire. Yellow marigold garlands and a tray of fruit sit at the right edge, and the background is dark.2013-10-15Night-time outdoor homa or fire ritual at an ashram ground under trees, with smoke rising among several yagna pits. Priests in white dhotis and bare-chested devotees with rudraksha malas and saffron cloths tend the fire pits, which are decorated with flower garlands, purple-and-white ribbons, fruit, brass vessels and kalasha pots. A bare-chested man in front wears a yellow headband and a gold-looking necklace, holding a small bowl. Behind, a priest in white stands near a raised platform with a deity murti and an orange-clothed figure. Fluorescent lights and a metal railing frame the scene.2017-05-10Wide photograph of an open-sided hall with a steel roof and exposed bamboo scaffolding poles. In the foreground, a seated man in a red and gold garment and a flower garland sits on a gilded throne-like seat with a golden canopy. Beside him, a row of people in orange and saffron robes stand with hands folded. In the centre, a fire pit lined with brick and surrounded by flower garlands and offerings is being used for a homa. Behind it, priests in white dhotis and bare-chested devotees stand near a small shrine with a deity murti and red cloths. Brass vessels, fruit and yellow marigold garlands lie on red-covered tables at right, and a few white offering sheets lie on the ground.2018-03-02Night-time homa at an open-air temple pavilion. In the foreground a large fire burns in a tiered yagna kunda decorated with marigold garlands and red kumkum. Behind it a priest in white dhoti with a saffron-and-gold shawl holds a vessel over the flames and offers oblations, while a second priest in cream dhoti with a gold border holds a bundle of kusha grass beside him. At right a man in a saffron dhoti with a red rudraksha mala and bare chest, hands folded in anjali, stands by a table of flowers and offerings. Behind them more white-clad priests tend additional fire pits under bamboo-supported roofing, with a deity shrine lit at the back. Coconuts, flowers and brass pots sit on the ground.2018-03-02