Skip to content
Nithyanandapedia
Night ritual photograph at an outdoor temple-style shrine decorated with marigold and multicoloured flower garlands and a golden arched frame. A deity murti sits at the top, flanked by flower-decorated kalasha pots draped in purple, blue and red cloth. A small fire burns in front of the altar at the centre. Four shaved-headed young ascetics in saffron-orange cloth with pink borders sit with their backs to the camera facing the shrine, wearing beaded necklaces. On the left, a person in white ritual dress and a white head wrap holds a lamp and offers a ritual. Brass vessels and puja items sit on the ground. Dark night sky in background.

More like this

Open the gallery
Night-time temple ritual before a decorated deity murti set in a golden arch framed by garlands of yellow marigolds and multicoloured flowers. Several bare-backed boys in saffron-orange cloth with maroon borders sit cross-legged on low wooden stools in the foreground, facing the altar. Beside the altar, a figure in white with a turban and white dhoti applies a mark or offering to a boy's arm. The altar holds kalasha pots wrapped in blue, purple and red cloth with flower garlands, brass vessels and a red-draped table. Visible audience heads at the lower edge.2013-11-20October 16 20132013-10-16November 20 20132013-11-20Night puja before a gilded arched shrine decorated with marigold and red flower garlands. A deity murti is adorned with garlands and ornaments, and a smaller deity figure sits on a pink-and-gold garland before the shrine. Four young shaved-headed students in saffron-orange robes sit on the steps facing the shrine, with a brass oil lamp burning on a tray in front of them. On the left, a priest in white dhoti and a yellow-and-white turban sits with a rudraksha mala, sacred ash marks on his arms, and a brass lamp beside him. Blue and purple cloth covers the platform, and kalasha pots stand on either side of the altar.2013-10-16October 15 20132013-10-15Night photograph of a temple ritual before a decorated deity murti set on a red-and-gold draped altar, framed by a golden arch and a garland of multicoloured flowers. Four boys in saffron-orange dhoti-style cloth, bare-chested, with beaded necklaces, sit cross-legged on low wooden stools facing the altar, their backs to the camera. Brass vessels and silver plates sit on the floor before them, and a marigold-covered kalasha-style pot stands on the altar. A man in white with a cream turban sits at the left edge, reaching toward the altar. Stone steps with red and white bands form the backdrop, and a standing fan is visible at right.2013-11-20October 16 20132013-10-16Night ritual at a temple-style shrine. A man in white dhoti and a white head wrap with rudraksha mala and sandalwood markings on his arms pours water from a vessel over a deity pair decorated with red and yellow flower garlands and gold-and-white jewelry. Before the shrine stand three kalasha pots with green leaves and a purple cloth. Several shaved-headed young people in saffron-orange shawls kneel with their backs to the camera, some holding vessels, facing the altar as devotees in an abhishekam or puja.2013-11-19October 16 20132013-10-16October 15 20132013-10-15Night-time puja at an outdoor shrine lit by electric lights. Left, a gilded arch frames deity murtis draped in garlands of marigolds and purple flowers on a red cloth. Centre, a smaller altar holds a decorated kalasha-style offering with flower garlands. Right, a large painted Ganesha figure with a golden crown and ornaments stands behind a red-and-white striped wall. Orange-robed sannyasis, some shaved-headed, sit in rows on a raised platform, with a standing orange-clad man near the Ganesha figure. Several people in white dhotis and shawls sit on the platform in front of the altar, while people in the foreground sit on the floor with their backs to the camera, one wearing a red mala. Kolam designs are on the ground.2014-09-06October 16 20132013-10-16