Skip to content
Nithyanandapedia
Night temple ritual in a South Indian shrine. A young priest in white dhoti and a white head wrap, with garlands of white flowers, holds a lit camphor flame on a brass plate at left. Beside him a priest in white dhoti with a patterned black-and-gold cap and white garland holds a microphone stand. A woman in a rust-orange sari with gold border offers a plate near two ornately decorated deity murti seated on red-and-green silk, adorned with garlands, jewellery and flower arches. Brass lamps, a kalasha-style vessel, and a yellow turmeric-marked square platform are in the foreground. Ornate golden temple pillars and a lit shrine frame the background.

More like this

Open the gallery
May 02 20122012-05-02Night photograph inside a decorated temple shrine with a golden arch and carved stone pillars hung with green leaves and marigold-style garlands. A priest in white dhoti with a white sacred thread and a tall decorated headdress holds a tray toward a woman in an orange-red sari, who stands beside a metal kalasha-like vessel. Two ornately dressed deity murti sit on a red and green garlanded platform in front, and a larger deity murti is visible in the background shrine. Oil lamps stand on the floor at the lower left.2012-05-02Night temple ritual in front of a gilded shrine with carved stone pillars and a golden arch. Two young priests in white dhotis and white shawls, one in a white turban and one in a tall ornate headdress, stand with garlanded arms; the left priest holds a brass plate with a flaming camphor lamp. A third man in an orange-red dhoti and draped orange shawl raises his hand toward the shrine. Two richly decorated deity murtis sit on red and green draped platforms, heavily adorned with marigold and garland swags, gold jewellery and crowns. Brass oil lamps, a kalasha, offering plates, a keyboard and a wooden box with yellow powder sit in the foreground, with scattered petals on the floor. The scene reads as a puja or aarti performed before the deities.2012-05-02Night ritual photograph of a temple shrine with a sacred fire pit in the foreground. Two priests, both bare-chested with white dhotis and white shoulder cloths, stand at the flames, one wearing a tall ornate crown-like headdress. Their hands are raised over the fire as they perform a homa or yagna. Behind them stand decorated deity murtis draped in red and garlands of marigolds and green leaves, with a golden kalasha-style arch and a lit oil lamp. Banana plants flank the scene, and offerings sit on brass plates at left, including what appears to be sugar or sweets.2012-05-02Night temple ritual in a courtyard lit by warm lamps. A priest in white dhoti with a tall ornate crown and garland stands at left holding a tray. A second figure in an orange-red robe and sash stands at center facing two deity murtis. The murtis are dressed in red and gold silks and heaped with marigold and green garland. Behind them stands a stone shrine with carved pillars and a decorated arch. Brass oil lamps and a kalasha sit on the floor, and banana leaves frame the scene.2012-05-02May 02 20122012-05-02Night temple ritual photo at a richly decorated shrine with gold-toned pillars and a lit interior. Two priests in white dhotis and white shoulder cloths stand at a central deity murti draped in red, orange and green garlands, with a kumkum-marked face. The priest on the left wears a tall ornate gold crown and holds a garland. Flanking shrines hold additional garlanded murtis on red satin bases, with a banana plant, a curtain and oil lamps nearby. Banana leaves, bowls and a microphone sit in the foreground. A small framed portrait sits on the right shrine, but no living figure is clearly identifiable as a person from appearance alone.2012-05-02A temple shrine interior at night with a fire pit lined with yellow bricks in the lower left, flames rising from it. A bald priest in white dhoti and white upper cloth with a gold border stands barefoot on an orange cloth, holding a lit lamp toward several shrines. Behind him a man in orange clothing stands at a microphone, holding a white sheet. Three shrines are decorated with garlands of red, pink, yellow and white flowers and green draped cloth; the central deity murti and seated figures are dressed in red and gold, and a deity in the upper right shrine has a golden crown. Brass lamps and offering plates sit on the floor, with scattered red petals and a banana plant behind.2011-11-29May 02 20122012-05-02May 02 20122012-05-02May 02 20122012-05-02May 02 20122012-05-02