Skip to content
Nithyanandapedia
Night-time outdoor homa at a raised yellow-brown fire pit with a burning fire of wood and dry straw. A bald man in saffron-orange robes sits at the centre, speaking into a microphone on a stand. Around him, several people in white and orange-saffron clothes sit cross-legged on cloth mats, many wearing rudraksha malas and red-orange shawls. To the right, a man in white dhoti with gold border and a pink-red headwrap sits with hands folded near brass and copper pots, lamps and fruit offerings. Two women in deep red-brown clothes with rudraksha malas sit at left, one writing in a notebook. A large crowd of devotees in white and saffron fills the background, seated on the ground under a dark sky, with a small shrine and a standing deity murti at the top rear.

More like this

Open the gallery
Night-time homa at an outdoor ashram setting. A square wooden fire pit with stepped yellow-painted sides holds a burning fire with dry grass and wood. In the foreground at right, a man in white dhoti and shawl with a gold border, rudraksha mala and bead bracelets sits cross-legged, hands raised over the fire. Next to him a bald man in orange-saffron robes sits behind a microphone stand. Two women in dark red-brown garments sit at left, one reading from an open book. Brass pots, a plate of offerings, oil lamps and a small kalasha surround the pit. Behind, a large seated crowd in orange, white and saffron clothing fills the ground, with a dark statue or murti at the back.2014-10-27Night-time Ganapati homa at an outdoor ashram setting. A golden-yellow square fire pit holds a flaming fire, with smoke rising. Several priests sit around it in saffron/orange robes and white dhotis, with rudraksha malas and white forehead markings; the priest at right wears a red and gold turban and white garment with gold border and offers something into the fire. Silver and brass vessels, a small pot with yellow flowers, and bowls of grain sit at the edges. Behind them a seated audience in white and red-sashed clothing fills the background, with a microphone stand visible at left. A partial garland hangs in the background.2014-10-11August 29 20142014-08-29A night-time fire ritual, a homa, at an outdoor square-brick fire pit lined in gold-painted border. A large flame rises from the pit. Four priests in white dhotis with rudraksha malas and white tilak marks sit on the ground, and one in saffron/orange robes with a rudraksha mala holds a ladle at the pit edge; a young assistant in a white dhoti with a red-pink headcloth pours from a copper vessel. Brass pots, steel bowls of grains and yellow flowers surround the fire. Seated devotees in white and red shawls watch from plastic chairs behind, around 20 visible.2014-10-11Night-time outdoor homa at an ashram, with a square yellow-painted fire pit in the foreground holding a small fire and ash. Four men sit around it on mats: on the left a young man in white dhoti with rudraksha mala and white forehead marks; next a man in saffron-orange robe with red shawl and rudraksha mala; third a man in saffron-orange robe, shaved head and rudraksha mala; on the right a man in white dhoti and shawl with rudraksha mala, red-and-pink turban and flower garlands, pouring from a vessel. Brass kalashas, bowls and flowers sit on the mat. Behind them a seated crowd in white and red shawls, and a bronze-coloured statue with a garland in an illuminated shrine. Many attendees wear white with red shawls.2014-10-11Night-time outdoor homa at an open-air platform lit by bright stage lights, with a large crowd of seated devotees, many in white and colourful clothes, watching. A square fire pit with a bright flame is central, surrounded by brick-like altar blocks and offerings of fruit and flowers. A priest in white dhoti and a saffron-orange shawl kneels before the fire with folded hands, while a man in a white dhoti stands at left bowing and another seated man in a white dhoti and yellow-gold shawl tends the fire. On the right, a white-draped table holds brass plates, coconuts, flowers, a purple cloth and ritual vessels. A figure in saffron clothing with a turban-like headwrap stands at the far upper left. Hotel buildings glow in the background.2015-12-23 +1 copiesJuly 22 20132013-07-22July 04 20132013-07-04Night outdoor ritual on a riverside ghat beside a brick-lined fire pit with bright flames, a silver trident standing upright at left, and brass vessels, a kalasha-style pot and red flower offerings in front. A figure in orange-saffron shawl with long dark hair and gold ornaments sits at left tending the fire. Several men in white dhotis and bare or red-banded heads, some with red or orange cloths and rudraksha, sit beside the fire and handle offerings. A large audience of many devotees in white and red clothes sits on the steps behind, with a cameraman and bright floodlights lit against the dark. Smoke drifts across the scene. Dress and fire suggest a homa-style ceremony, and the orange-clad figure cannot be confirmed as a person from appearance alone.2014-08-01A night homa in progress at a yellow-and-white square fire pit filled with logs and burning embers, with smoke rising. A young priest in white dhoti and a white head wrap, bare-chested with rudraksha malas and sandalwood markings, pours or tends offerings at the fire with a stick. Behind him, a shaved-headed man in saffron-orange robes and a rudraksha mala sits attentively, and several women in orange saris with rudraksha malas and white forehead markings sit at left. Devotees in white shirts and dark clothes sit in the background among dim lights.2013-11-07A night outdoor homa at a temple-like setting: a square stone fire pit with a large flame burns in the centre, and a man in a saffron-orange dhoti and shawl with a red-orange turban sits at the right, adorned with rudraksha-style beads, a gold necklace and bangles, while the seated congregation in orange and saffron robes, many with shaved heads, presses palms together in prayer. Behind them a crowd stands under string lights and festoons, a pink-and-gold deity murti is decorated at the top right, and brass vessels and oil lamps sit on a leopard-print cloth near the fire. a person cues: turban, ornate gold necklace and bangles, and central seated position, with a saffron shawl; he appears to be the officiating presence at the homa.2013-07-22A night-time fire ritual, a homa or yagna, on a riverbank under strings of marigold garlands and floodlights. A large crowd of seated devotees in saffron and orange robes fills the foreground and sides. At the centre, a woman in an orange sari with a beaded necklace stands beside a blazing fire pit, holding a ritual implement. Around the fire, saffron-robed sannyasis and monks sit cross-legged, several with palms pressed together, and brass bowls of offerings and oil lamps are set on the ground. Ornate carved wooden pillars frame the scene. a person's appearance is not confidently identifiable here, so no candidate is named.2014-05-20