Skip to content
Nithyanandapedia
A kneeling man in a white shirt with a wooden bead necklace has his forehead touched by a bare-chested figure with long dark hair, a braided red-orange crown and a red-orange shawl, who holds a small printed card with an image toward him. Behind them a monk in orange robes and rudraksha beads, with long dreadlocked hair, looks on. A silver ceremonial staff and a framed picture sit at the right and lower centre, with a dark background and an attendant in orange at right. The figure's appearance with long hair, a crown and orange shawl matches the a person cues, but identity is uncertain from the image alone. The scene suggests an initiation-style blessing.

More like this

Open the gallery
A photograph of a ritual initiation. A bare-chested man with long dark hair and a thick reddish-brown braided turban, wearing a saffron-orange shawl over the shoulder, a rudraksha mala and a gold necklace, places his right hand on the forehead of a kneeling man in a white shirt and dark rudraksha beads, whose hands are pressed together in anjali mudra. Behind them a man in orange robes holds up a small white card printed with a photo. Other saffron-clad people stand in the background, and a framed picture sits near the bottom of the frame. The setting is dim with warm stage lighting.2018-04-30A photograph of a diksha-style initiation. A kneeling man in white clothes with red rudraksha malas hands pressed together receives a blessing from a bare-chested man in a saffron-orange cloth with a red braided crown-like headwrap, rudraksha beads and dreadlocked hair, who places one hand on the kneeling man's head while holding a small printed card. Another orange-clad sadhu and a man in a dark shirt with a lanyard stand behind, with a long red-and-gold textile to the right.2018-04-30A photograph of a diksha-style initiation moment: a bare-chested man in a red-orange wrap and rudraksha malas, with long dark hair swept up under a red-orange turban, holds a white card to the forehead of a smiling man in white kurta with a rudraksha mala who raises his palms. Behind them a man in saffron/orange robes wears a rudraksha mala, and a framed portrait sits beside a small white silver-toned figurine on a glass stand. Other people in white stand in the background. Swamiji (probable): the bare-chested figure in red-orange wrap with turban and long hair, with rudraksha malas, conducting the initiation.2018-04-30April 30 20182018-04-30April 30 20182018-04-30A photo of a ceremonial initiation moment. A bare-chested man with long dark hair wrapped in a tall reddish-orange braided turban and a saffron-orange shawl touches the forehead of a devotee with his right hand. The devotee, a man with short greying hair in a cream kurta with a small pattern, wears a rudraksha mala and stands with eyes closed. Behind them, another saffron-clad figure wearing dark beaded malas and a man in a brown-grey turban are visible, with a metal railing and dark backdrop. The gesture resembles a blessing or diksha.2018-04-30A photograph of an initiation moment: a bare-chested sannyasi with a long braided red-orange cloth wrapped on his head and rudraksha malas over his shoulder places his hand on the head of a seated man in a pale pink kurta with a rudraksha mala. Beside them a second ascetic with matted dreadlocks and a red tilak holds up a small printed card bearing a portrait. Another person in a red cloth stands behind. The sannyasi on the right appears to be the central officiant; no candidate for a person's appearance is clearly established from the visible cues, so the identity is uncertain.2018-04-30April 30 20182018-04-30April 30 20182018-04-30April 30 20182018-04-30A man with a shaved head and folded hands, wearing a white embroidered kurta and a rudraksha mala, kneels while a man in a red-orange and maroon robe with a braided red-orange headwrap and long dark hair places his right palm on his head in blessing. Behind them, a third man in orange robes wears a rudraksha mala, and a framed white deity murti sits on a stand in front. Additional people in white and orange stand in the dim background, and a silver ceremonial staff is visible at the right edge.2018-04-30A photograph of a ceremonial initiation at an indoor event. A young man in a black t-shirt with a red thread and pendant kneels with head bowed while a bare-chested ascetic with long matted locks and a rudraksha-bead headband, wearing a red-orange cloth draped over his shoulder, presses a hand to the young man's head and holds a small printed card. Another orange-robed attendant with long braided hair stands beside them, and a man in a light blue shirt with a lanyard watches from the left. A photographer in the right background holds a camera. The scene is bright with a silver ceremonial pillar at the right edge.2018-04-30