Skip to content
Nithyanandapedia
Women in red and maroon saris, garlanded with orange marigold and white jasmine strands, sit in a row before a richly decorated deity murti hung with flower garlands and gold ornaments. A priest in saffron-toned robes with a shaved head and rudraksha bands on his arm sits at right, pouring from a silver vessel at a yellow-brick fire pit where smoke rises, indicating a homa. Marigold petals and brass lamps lie on the ground, and a gold-fringed parasol stands at right under a white tent canopy.

More like this

Open the gallery
October 21 20152015-10-21October 21 20152015-10-21 +1 copiesOctober 21 20152015-10-21 +1 copiesOctober 21 20152015-10-21 +1 copiesOctober 21 20152015-10-21 +1 copiesA ritual scene in a temporary pavilion with white draped walls. Six women in red and maroon silk saris, with white and orange flower garlands and yellow-and-red vermilion marks on their foreheads, sit in a row on the floor facing a yellow-brick square fire pit lined with marigolds and small oil lamps. A bald priest in a maroon and gold dhoti sits cross-legged at the pit, holding a ladle over a brass bowl. Behind them stand a golden throne-like peetha draped with yellow and pink garlands and a large deity murti decorated with flower garlands and gold ornaments. A brass kalasha and a small orange and gold flag are visible to the right, and a few more people in red stand in the background. The scene shows a homa-style fire ritual with offerings.2015-10-21 +1 copiesOctober 21 20152015-10-21 +1 copiesA photograph of a Hindu ritual at a temple-style altar draped in white cloth. A bald priest bare-chested with a saffron-yellow dhoti and a yellow shawl, wearing a headset microphone, pours or offers from a metal vessel toward a group of women seated on the floor. Five or six women wear red, pink and maroon saris with white flower garlands, sitting before a yellow-draped square altar decorated with yellow flowers and lamps. Behind them stands a deity murti dressed in garlands of orange, yellow and white flowers, flanked by smaller garlanded figures and a decorated flag with a gold border. Brass lamps and offerings sit on the altar, consistent with a puja or homa.2015-10-21 +1 copiesSeven women in red, maroon and pink silk saris sit in a row before a decorated shrine, each wearing marigold and white flower garlands and a rudraksha-style mala. Their hands are folded or resting on their laps. Behind them stand colourful flower garlands, a brass lamp and a gold-painted deity murti. A brass plate with yellow flowers and a small tray sit in the foreground beside a smoky offering area. The women are seated and attentive, with no clear presence of a central figure in the frame.2015-10-21 +1 copiesA temple-style ritual in a tented hall. A bald priest with a rudraksha mala and bare upper body, wearing a red-brown dhoti-style cloth, bends over a metal bowl and a small flame, offering to the fire in front of five young women seated in a row on the floor. The women wear cream and gold silk saris and orange and red garments and are garlanded with marigolds. Behind them a large deity murti with garlands and a silver crown stands on a red cloth, with brass lamps, a decorated kalasha, fruit, coconut and yellow offerings nearby. The floor is strewn with flower petals, and a bright ceremonial umbrella stands at the right.2015-10-21 +1 copiesSix women seated side by side in a row on the floor during a ritual, wearing red and maroon silk saris with gold borders, white-and-orange marigold garlands and brown rudraksha-style beaded necklaces. Several have yellow turmeric and red kumkum marks on their foreheads and their hands are joined or resting in their laps. Smoke rises in front of them from a ritual fire, and flower petals and offering plates lie on the floor below. Behind them a large deity murti is decorated with yellow and orange marigold garlands and a red draped cloth.2015-10-21 +1 copiesA photograph of a homa ritual in progress before a decorated shrine hung with marigold garlands and a deity murti draped in flowers. A bare-chested priest with a shaved head and orange-saffron shawl sits at the front, holding a ladle over a metal bowl above a fire pit of yellow-marked bricks lined with lamps and coconuts. Six women in deep red and magenta saris, each wearing marigold and white flower garlands, sit in a row behind the fire pit, several with hands raised in offering. Hanging on the right is a small embroidered banner in orange and yellow.2015-10-21 +1 copies