Skip to content
Nithyanandapedia
A homa fire ritual at night in a temple setting. A fire burns in a brick-lined pit with yellow-painted bricks, flowers scattered on the bricks, and smoke rising around the scene. On the right, a priest in white dhoti and shawl with a green border bends low over the fire, his hands near the flames while tending it. Behind him, two seated men in white dhotis, one bare-chested, sit near a drum and a brass vessel, while another standing man in a white dhoti stands to the left. Brass lamps, a flower-garlanded altar with fruit and marigold garlands, and a red-and-white striped cloth complete the setting.

More like this

Open the gallery
June 23 20172017-06-23May 02 20172017-05-02June 23 20172017-06-23July 28 20172017-07-28 +1 copiesNight outdoor fire ritual, a homa, on a brick-lined fire pit surrounded by yellow-painted bricks. A priest in white dhoti with an orange-and-green sash and a yellow head band pours offerings toward the flames. Another priest in white with a yellow shawl pours ghee or offerings, while a third in white stands at right. Seated devotees in white sit on striped mats and fold hands. A bright light and cameras stand at left. Fruits, flowers, a brass vessel and a kalasha sit nearby, with garlands of marigolds beside the altar. Multi-coloured woven mats cover the ground, and apartment buildings with lit windows stand behind.2017-06-23A nighttime homa fire ritual at an ashram-style hall. A priest in white dhoti and shawl with a purple-and-gold cloth draped over his head leans forward over a fire pit of burning flames, reaching toward the offerings. Behind him, several priests in white dhotis with coloured borders stand; one holds a silver plate of pink flower garlands and another holds a microphone. Yellow and pink flowers, bananas, brass pots and offering trays surround the fire pit. Seated devotees in white watch from the left, and a framed portrait hangs on the upper right.2015-08-31 +1 copiesMay 02 20172017-05-02June 12 20042004-06-12July 19 20132013-07-19Night-time homa at an open-sided shelter with a corrugated metal roof. A fire burns in a yellow brick fire pit at centre, with smoke rising. Several men in white dhotis sit cross-legged around it: a bare-chested man in the foreground faces the fire, and a man with a yellow turban and rudraksha mala tends the fire behind it. A man in an orange turban sits to the right beside a tray of offerings. Rows of kalasha pots wrapped in flowers and pink-and-white ribbons, with oranges and flower garlands, are arranged on yellow brick platforms. Standing figures in white and a bare-chested man with a necklace stand in the background under bright lights.2017-05-10A photograph of a homa fire ritual in a pillared hall. A bare-chested priest with a red rudraksha-style bead necklace and white dhoti bends over a brick fire pit, holding a large plate of flaming camphor or ghee lamp toward the blaze, with flower offerings and a brass pot nearby. Smoke rises from the pit. Behind him a man in a white shirt and blue-and-white dhoti stands with palms pressed together, and another man in a yellow shawl and white dhoti holds a small bell. A crowd of devotees in white, saffron and orange clothes stands in the background, hands folded. Banana leaves hang at the left edge.2012-09-24April 14 20182018-04-14