Skip to content
Nithyanandapedia
A priest seated cross-legged on a purple cloth performs a puja at a temple altar. He wears a white dhoti with a gold-bordered shawl over his bare upper body, glasses and a grey face mask, and rings a brass handbell with his left hand while holding a small spoon in his right. Before him sit silver and brass bowls of pink and yellow flower petals, yellow powder, fruit, sweets and rice dishes. A red cushion holds an ornate silver-and-stone mask-like ornament, beside a green and gold silk saree. Behind him an orange draped altar bears a garlanded deity murti, bamboo stalks and pink roses, indicating an Ashtotarra Namavali puja at a Hindu temple.

More like this

Open the gallery
A bare-chested priest in a white dhoti with a face mask sits cross-legged on an orange cloth, performing puja before a deity murti of Devi Mahalakshmi decorated with a red flower garland. He holds a small brass vessel and a bell-like object near offerings on silver and steel trays, including fruit, sweets, rice and turmeric-coloured grains. A teal draped backdrop, marigold-style flowers and folded red, yellow and green silk cloths fill the scene, with rose petals in a silver bowl.2020-10-22Photo 82859402022-07-13 +1 copiesA seated priest bare-chested with a white dhoti bordered in gold performs a puja at a temple altar. He wears a face mask and holds a lit multi-wick brass aarti lamp toward a platter of offerings. Three small yellow and pink decorated kalasha-style figures with flower garlands sit on a red-draped altar, with gold-framed shrine niches and deity murtis behind. Brass plates hold bananas, apples, mangoes, a pineapple, dates and rice, and marigold petals and leaves are laid on a low wooden stand. Gold lamps and a bell are nearby.2020-06-30KAILASA SAN JOSE, USA on 10/23/20202020-10-23KAILASA LOS ANGELES, USA on 6/30/20202020-06-30A shirtless priest in white dhoti sits cross-legged on a purple cloth at the left, ringing a handbell with his right hand while holding a small vessel in his left. In front of him stands a deity murti dressed in an orange and gold silk sari-style drape, wearing a gold crown, layered white and yellow marigold garlands and a gold necklace, set within a gold arched backdrop with purple drapes. Around the murti lie silver bowls and plates of fruit including bananas, lemons, apples and blueberries, nuts, sweets, flowers and small brass containers, with a potted green plant at the left. This appears to be a puja offering with naivedyam arranged before the deity.2021-04-03Photo of a temple puja at a Hindu shrine. A shaved-headed priest wearing a face mask sits cross-legged at left, bare-chested in a white dhoti, holding a red and silver tray. Behind him is a gilded arched shrine with a deity murti set on a golden throne, with two consort figures in green and garlands. Offerings of fruit, flowers, rose petals and sweets sit on silver trays on a purple cloth, with a decorative hanging at upper left. Pink and yellow flowers fill the frame. Only the priest is a physical person in the scene.2020-10-21A seated priest bare-chested in a white dhoti with a yellow border performs puja before a black stone deity murti of a goddess, adorned with white jasmine and red-orange flower garlands and gold jewellery. He wears spectacles and a sacred thread, holds a flame in one hand and a small metal vessel in the other. A silver plate with sweets and a brass bowl sit in front of him, a red and green cloth lies at left, and an orange and pink silk drape hangs behind the deity on a gold altar with smaller murtis above.2021-11-14A seated priest with a shaved head and bare chest wears a white dhoti with gold border and a face mask, holding a lit oil lamp over an offering tray during a Satyanarayana puja. Three painted clay-style deity murti or decorated forms sit on a red cloth before an altar with carved white pillars. Behind them stand ornate deity statues in gold frames, garlanded and dressed in colourful silk. Brass plates hold bananas, green apples, pineapple, mango, coconut, dates and rice, with flowers and betel leaves scattered on banana leaves. Brass oil lamps and a kalasha surround the scene.2020-06-30A bare-chested man in white dhoti with orange-and-white sash sits cross-legged behind a long table set for puja, pouring liquid from a small vessel. Eyeglasses and a rudraksha-style necklace are visible. Before him are silver and brass trays with grapes, bananas, pink flowers, coconut-shaped offerings, and a ornate gold-and-orange festival mask or deity image on a yellow cloth. A copper kalasha and brass lamps stand on the table, and a colourful deity shrine with green and gold decoration sits at the upper right against a yellow wall with green bunting.2021-08-20Photo 82865052022-07-13 +1 copiesPhoto 82888192022-07-01 +1 copies