July 20 2005 - Nithyanandapedia

Nithyanandapedia

July 20 2005

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A photograph of a homa at an outdoor ceremony. A figure with long dark hair and an orange saffron robe sits at the left, pouring from a brass vessel and ladle into a square fire pit built of red bricks, where a small fire burns. Around the pit, people in white clothes sit on mats, several wearing beaded necklaces. Behind them a large crowd of mostly white-clad devotees, some in dhotis and saris, watches from a platform. A brass kalasha and metal offering vessels sit on a mat in the foreground, and a microphone stand stands near the fire.

A homa fire ritual is performed inside a square brick fire pit filled with sand and burning sticks. A man in saffron-orange robes with long swept-back hair and a rudraksha mala sits on a carved wooden seat at left, holding a ladle over the fire and gesturing with his other hand; he appears to be Swamiji (probable) and is described in the scene as the officiating priest. Brass vessels, a kalasha-style pot, and offerings of wood and grains sit on a striped mat. Behind, a large seated crowd in white clothing and white ritual dress, many wearing rudraksha malas, observes. A young girl and two women in white sit with hands folded in front of the fire.

A photograph of a fire ritual in a whitewashed hall. In the foreground, a white brick fire pit with a small flame sits decorated with white flowers and green leaves, with a brass bowl and a wooden ladle beside it. A long-haired figure in orange robes sits on a cushioned seat with a gold-bordered orange cloth draped over it, and a man in an orange shawl sits nearby. Several children in white dhotis and white kurtas, some with rudraksha-style beaded necklaces, stand or squat around the fire pit. Behind them, a larger crowd of children and adults fills the room, and a man in white with an orange shawl holds a video camera at the right. A framed photo board hangs on the back wall.

Outdoor fire ritual at night in a yellow-rimmed brick homa pit filled with bundled sticks and scattered flower petals. A man in a saffron-orange robe and matching orange turban sits at the pit, pouring from a brass bowl and tending the fire with a ladle, rudraksha beads visible at his neck. Around him, about fifteen seated devotees in white dhotis and white shirts or saris pray with folded hands, while one holds a steel bowl of petals. A brass bell and a copper pot rest nearby, and a bald elderly man in white in the foreground rings a bell. Standing devotees in white watch from the background, and the ground is bare sand.

2003-03-01 +1 copies

Night photo of a fire ritual at a marigold-garlanded sacrificial pit, with a flame visible at its base. A long-haired figure in a saffron-orange robe, wearing a red flower garland and a gold ceremonial necklace, stands at the pit's edge. Around them, men in white dhotis and orange shawls kneel and stand, some with hands folded and some holding metal vessels and trays. Onlookers crowd behind, and strings of orange flowers and lights hang overhead. Appearance-based probable candidate for a person, visible as a standing figure in orange with long hair, a flower garland and gold necklace, at the fire ritual.

A 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.

A homa fire burns in a square brick fire pit decorated with yellow turmeric powder and scattered pink flower petals. Smoke and flames rise from the pit, with offerings of dried stalks and flowers on the platform. A seated priest in orange robes, with his back to the camera, faces the fire, and a standing person in white clothes stands at the right. Brass vessels hold offerings, a brass bowl contains a pale substance, and a kumkum dish with incense sticks sits nearby. Garlands of marigold and red flowers adorn a decorated altar behind.

A photograph of an outdoor homa at a tent-covered ashram site. A long-haired man in an orange robe and a rudraksha mala stands at the right, holding a coconut above a fire pit. The fire pit is a raised brown earthen structure with flames rising from its left end, decorated with yellow marigold and pink flower garlands along its edges. Seated behind it are several people in orange and white robes, including a woman in a yellow-and-orange sari, and a bronze bowl sits near the front. Orange and saffron cloth banners hang from the tent poles, with trees and parked vehicles beyond.

A homa ritual is performed before a deity murti decorated with garlands and a trident emblem. A seated priest in orange robes and a gold-trimmed shawl feeds offerings into a square brick fire pit with smoke rising, while a man in white robes with a red rudraksha mala bends forward holding a brass vessel. Behind them a woman in white with a red mala holds a brass dish, and young women in saree and white clothing stand nearby.

Outdoors under a corrugated tin-roofed pavilion of bamboo poles, a homa fire burns in a tiered brick-and-earth fire pit decorated with yellow and pink flower garlands. A man with long dark swept-back hair wears an orange saffron wrap, a rudraksha mala, and holds a ladle over the fire. Around him, seated devotees in white clothes with orange shawls assist with the ritual, and others sit beside a small brick structure. Green trees and people walking in the background complete the scene.

A homa fire pit lined with white bricks in a temple setting, with smoke rising and rose petals scattered around it. A seated man in an orange saffron robe with a garland and a bead necklace tends the fire with a small lamp, while a man in white ritual clothes leans in at right. Behind them, a woman in white with a red cord holds a brass plate, and a second woman in white stands at the right edge. Behind the fire stand a deity murti with a red and orange crown, decorated with flower garlands, and a blue backdrop. Brass vessels and a kalasha sit on the stone platform.

Outdoors at night, a square mud fire pit bordered in yellow holds a small fire of thin sticks with flower petals scattered around it. A seated figure in orange-saffron robes and an orange head wrap, with a rudraksha mala, pours from a small brass vessel into the fire, a copper pot and brass plate of offerings beside them. Around the pit sit about a dozen devotees in white clothes, some with beards, some with folded hands, watching the fire ritual under a dark tree. A man in white on the right holds a camera-like object. The setting suggests a homa or yagna being performed.

2003-03-01 +1 copies