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Nithyanandapedia
Evening ritual inside a brick-walled pavilion. In the centre, a fire pit (homa kunda) burns with flames, surrounded by yellow and white flower garlands and fruit offerings. A seated bare-chested priest wearing a yellow head wrap, gold necklaces and a white dhoti holds a small ritual vessel and pours or gestures over the fire. Behind him, a large gold-and-red ornate throne (peetha) stands on a striped rug. To the left, a standing man in a long rust-red robe with a long dark braid and white forehead markings presses his palms together in prayer. Other attendants in white garments sit around the fire, and a lamp stands near the left edge.

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April 06 20172017-04-06April 06 20172017-04-06February 23 20172017-02-23A courtyard homa ritual at the Nithyananda Dhyanapeetam ashram. A seated man in orange-red robes, with long dark hair, a yellow-and-white tilak and a red-and-yellow sash, sits on an ornate gold-and-red throne behind a yellow-brick fire pit (homa kunda) with a flame. A second priest in orange robes, bare-chested with white markings, a red turban and a rudraksha mala, stands at right lighting a lamp at a stone-and-wood doorway. Brass vessels, a kalasha-like pot, a pot of fruit, flower garlands and a striped rug surround the scene. A metal detector gate stands in the background.2018-05-29 +1 copiesApril 06 20172017-04-06Courtyard homa ritual in a stone-walled ashram space. A bearded man with long swept-back hair, a tilak on his forehead and an orange-red cloth wrap sits cross-legged on an ornate gold-and-red throne, hands folded. Nearby a second man in orange-red cloth, bare-chested with a rudraksha mala and white markings on his arms, bends over a brass tray of banana leaves, flowers and fruit. A yellow brick fire pit with a flame burns in the foreground beside a silver vessel, and brass lamps burn near carved wooden doors. A colourful striped mat covers the floor. The throne seat is the only ceremonial cue beyond ordinary ritual dress, so identity is uncertain.2018-05-29 +1 copiesNight-time courtyard ritual at a stone-walled ashram building. A seated man in orange-red robes with a vertical tilak and long dark hair sits on an ornate gold-and-red throne behind a fire pit (kund) of yellow-painted bricks with a bright flame, a homa setting. Two men in orange turbans and white body markings sit cross-legged at left with hands folded in prayer, one with a rudraksha-style neck garland; a third devotee in orange kneels at lower right with palms joined. A standing figure in orange appears far left. Brass plates, bowls, fruit, flowers and a decorated tray with white and red streamers sit on striped mats near the fire. A carved wooden door frames the right side.2018-05-29 +1 copiesFebruary 23 20172017-02-23A seated figure on a gilded throne with a golden umbrella overhead sits in an orange-red robe, hands folded in namaskar, wearing red and pink flower garlands, a gold necklace and a dark turban-style headdress. Beside him a bare-chested priest in a saffron-yellow shawl and white dhoti raises a metal kalasha with a white cloth over it during a fire ritual. A visible homa fire burns in the foreground with flower offerings, fruit and decorated plates around it. A man in white dhoti with an orange shawl and beaded necklaces stands at right with palms pressed together, and other attendants in white and orange stand behind. The setting is an indoor hall with red walls.2016-03-06 +1 copiesMarch 16 20172017-03-16March 06 20162016-03-06 +1 copiesPhotograph of a homa fire ritual under a canopy. A man in a rust-orange robe with gold ornaments and gold bangles sits with palms pressed together in namaskar on a red-cushioned gold throne, with a white horizontal forehead mark. Beside him, a bare-chested man in a white dhoti with an orange-yellow sash and orange turban pours an offering from a ladle into a brick fire pit where flames rise. A bare-chested man with a rudraksha mala sits on a striped mat at left, and a woman in a dark green sari with red border stands behind. A striped multicolour mat covers the floor, a brass bowl rests near the fire, and a red and yellow tasselled canopy hangs overhead.2017-03-16