September 05 2010 - Nithyanandapedia

Nithyanandapedia

September 05 2010

More like this

Open the gallery

Outdoor evening ceremony under palm trees with a dim blue sky. A bald priest in white dhoti and a red-bordered shawl, with a sacred thread and a garland of flowers, holds a small brass plate and touches a white-robed devotee's forehead, applying a mark. Smoke drifts across the left foreground. A row of devotees in white clothes stand with hands folded in prayer, and others in white and one in orange stand behind them. Low brick and tin-roofed buildings and a yellow pillar are in the background. Palm fronds appear at the right edge.

Outdoor photograph at dusk of a ritual gathering with thick smoke rising from a fire pit in the foreground. A bald priest in white dhoti and a white shawl with red border, wearing a rudraksha-style bead necklace and a tilak on his forehead, stands at right holding his hands toward a man in white kurta who stands with palms pressed together at left. Behind them, several men in white clothing stand in the smoke, and a crowd of devotees in white and other colours stands beneath palm trees. Brass vessels, bowls and oil lamps sit on a mat in front, and a green palm frond is visible at the right edge. The priest's figure shows no distinctive a person cues beyond ordinary white ritual clothing, so identity is unsure.

Smoky outdoor ritual scene in the evening, with thick white smoke or incense haze filling the air. A crowd of devotees dressed in white stands behind a low ritual platform. In the foreground a shaved-headed man in white with a dark bead mala around his neck stands with hands folded at his chest. To the right, a priest in white with a white shawl and a long garland of beads holds a small vessel and extends his hand toward the front man, as if performing a blessing or offering. Palm fronds and a palm tree appear in the background, along with a simple roof and a woman in an orange shawl at the lower left.

A smoky outdoor ritual at dusk where a bald man in a white shirt and grey track trousers stands barefoot, bowing with palms joined in front of a fire pit. Nearby, priests in white dhotis and maroon-bordered shawls perform the homa, one holding a ritual implement and another pouring offerings. Behind them, a crowd of devotees in white and cream clothes stands with hands folded, some wearing rudraksha or beaded necklaces. Brass plates, bowls and a kalasha sit on the orange-tiled platform, with palm fronds at the right edge and a palm-lined backdrop beyond the smoke.

September 11 2010

Outdoor ritual homa at dusk in an ashram courtyard with palm trees and simple tin-roofed buildings behind. A smoking fire pit stands in the centre. Several shaved-headed priests in white dhotis with red-bordered shawls sit around it, hands joined in prayer, with white vibhuti marks and gold necklaces. Behind them a large seated crowd in white clothes watches and folds their hands. On the right, silver kalasha vessels, a silver lamp stand, garlands and a red cloth covered seat frame the scene. A seated figure in saffron-coloured cloth sits on a raised platform, but the appearance is not clear enough to identify him.

Outdoor fire ritual at dusk with a square homa pit lined with stones and smoking, edged with white chalk-drawn patterns. A man in white clothes with a blue lanyard bends over the pit, holding a small brass dish of offering. Behind him a woman in white with a white shawl stands with hands folded. On the right, a figure in white robes with maroon and cream borders stands at the pit's edge with a long rudraksha-style necklace, while a bald man in white with a mala looks on. Brass bowls, a plate of grain, and a tray of offerings sit on an orange cloth. A crowd of people in white and colourful clothes stands behind under palm trees and tin-roofed huts.

November 21 2010

Outdoor crowd scene in warm morning light with trees behind. A shaved-headed priest in white dhoti and shawl with gold border, wearing glasses and a rudraksha mala, holds a brass lamp with a flame. Nearby a man in a white shirt and white trousers raises his hands toward the flame in blessing, while devotees stand with hands folded, including women in white and orange saris and a woman with a yellow bag. Some people have vibhuti or tilak marks. The ritual appears to be an aarti with a lamp.

Night-time ritual at an ashram outdoors. A shaved-headed young man in white clothes and glasses pours water from a small vessel while a bare-chested priest in white dhoti and angavastram with a red border, sandal-marked forehead and rudraksha mala holds a tray. A woman in a white dress with an orange shawl offers a steel plate with white offerings. Orange cloth hangs behind, with other devotees in white and orange shawls.

November 10 2011

Outdoor evening homa at a square fire pit lined with white and yellow powder markings, with dark smoke rising from the pit and a wooden stick standing in the embers. A priest in white dhoti and shawl with red-bordered edges and a gold necklace stands at the pit, holding an offering and facing another man. In front, a man in a white shirt with a lanyard and folded hands stands at the edge; a second man in white holds a small ritual vessel. Brass bowls, a plate of grains and a tray of offerings sit on an orange cloth beside the pit. Behind them a crowd of mostly white-clad devotees, some with white and red attire, watches under palm trees with a corrugated hut at left.