Skip to content
Nithyanandapedia
A photograph of a night-time puja at a shrine before a large colourful deity murti of a goddess with many arms and an ornate white and silver backdrop. A priest with a shaved head, bare-chested, wearing a white dhoti with a red border and gold necklaces, kneels at a white stone homa/yagna platform with a dark square fire pit, pouring offerings and holding a small bowl. Behind him, two men in white kurtas stand with palms joined. Brass oil lamps burn on the right, a plate of bananas and fruit lies in the foreground, and a Ganesha figure and a flower garland decorate the altar. The priest does not show a clear a person appearance.

More like this

Open the gallery
October 15 20102010-10-15A young priest in white dhoti and shawl with a shaved head and a beaded necklace sits cross-legged at a white-rimmed square fire pit or yagna kund, holding a microphone while chanting. Behind him, a large colourful Durga murti rides a lion and holds weapons in many hands, flanked by a pink Ganesha figure and other deity figures. Brass oil lamps, a brass vessel and plates of offerings lie on the floor. Two men in white stand at the left, one with hands folded. The setting appears to be a night puja or homa at a temple.2010-10-15October 15 20102010-10-15A night-time ritual at a homa or yagna pit: a shaven-headed priest in white dhoti and shawl with a rudraksha-style necklace sits cross-legged before a square white-edged fire pit, hands folded in namaskar. Behind him a woman in a pale yellow sari and three men in white stand with hands joined, one holding a camera. Brass plates of mangoes, bananas, lemons, apples and coconuts lie on a white cloth in the foreground, with brass lamps and kalasha vessels nearby. Behind the pit is a large deity murti group with a goddess in red and white adornments, a lion, and smaller figures decorated with white flower garlands under a fringed canopy.2010-10-15October 15 20102010-10-15October 16 20102010-10-16 +1 copiesA night homa at a temple, with a white square fire pit filled with dark ash or embers and smoke rising. A priest in a white dhoti with red-bordered cloth pours an offering from a silver vessel into the pit, while another priest in white holds a lamp and a bowl near the pit's edge. A third man in a white dhoti with a yellow waistcloth sits cross-legged on the right, hands together. Behind them stands a decorated deity murti with a silver-white arched backdrop, flanked by women in red and orange saris and a pale kalasha-like figure, with red and gold lights strung in the background.2010-10-16October 16 20102010-10-16October 14 20102010-10-14A night-time Navaratri puja in a decorated pandal. In the foreground, a bald priest with a rudraksha-style garland and a white dhoti sits on his knees facing the altar. Behind him, a priest in white dhoti and shawl raises a lit flame in a vessel above a small step platform, while other white-clad figures stand and sit along the left. On the right, large deity murtis with decorative white crowns and garlands, including an elephant-headed figure, stand beside brass lamps, fruit and offerings. Strings of lights and orange bunting hang overhead.2010-10-16Night ritual photograph at an ashram temple beside a large white and gold deity display with several goddess murtis dressed in red and silver, one with a crown and trident-like emblems. In the foreground a priest in white dhoti and shawl kneels at a black stone yoni-peetha platform on white steps, pouring liquid from a metal vessel onto the stone, while other priests and women in red and maroon saris stand or sit around. Brass bowls, oil lamps, a bell, flower petals and red lights frame the scene. A bald priest in white with a gold necklace holds an offering on the right. A tall striped pillar and a cloth canopy are visible.2010-10-16Night homa at a fire pit during Navaratri celebrations. Two priests in white dhotis and shawls stand and kneel at a square white fire pit with a dark central opening, one pouring from a silver vessel and another holding a ritual vessel over it. A smoky haze rises from the pit, and flower petals and dried sticks lie on its raised base. Behind them, a large decorated deity murti with silver ornaments and a canopy stands among red and white lights. Several women in orange and red saris sit on mats at right, and an oil lamp burns nearby. The scene suggests a homa or yagna ritual.2010-10-16