Skip to content
Nithyanandapedia
A homa is being performed inside a home shrine room. A man in white dhoti and white shirt kneels over a small brick fire pit, pouring or stirring offerings with a long wooden ladle, while a bright flame rises from the pit. The pit is decorated with white and yellow rangoli-style dots and surrounded by brass plates and bowls holding flowers, leaves, fruit and turmeric. Behind him a deity murti garlanded with white flowers stands on an altar. A woman in a purple striped sari stands at the right edge, and two small oil lamps burn nearby.

More like this

Open the gallery
A homa fire ritual is underway in a temple-like room with a striped cloth on the floor. A priest in white dhoti and shawl with a yellow headband kneels and tends a flaming fire pit built of yellow-and-orange blocks, with flowers, fruit and a brass lamp nearby. Beside him a bare-chested assistant in white dhoti with a green-and-white border holds a small vessel. Behind them, a seated figure in saffron-orange cloth, with long hair and a gold necklace over rudraksha beads, sits on a golden throne with a gold chair back. A garland of white and yellow flowers lies in the foreground. Pooja items and a brass plate are visible on the floor.2017-06-23October 26 20112011-10-26A photograph of a homa being performed in a temple shrine. A square fire pit lined with white bricks holds a bright flame at centre. Behind it sit small deity murtis garlanded with yellow and white flowers, and brass oil lamps stand at the sides. A man in white clothes with a yellow shawl sits cross-legged at left, and a man in white with a book sits behind the fire. Two women in green and pale yellow saris kneel at right, one reaching toward the flame with her hand. Plates of fruit, marigold-type flowers, dried leaves and offerings lie on the floor in the foreground, along with a small red cloth.2009-09-20Indoor temple homa in progress at a shrine hall with white-washed walls and pillars. A priest in white dhoti and sleeveless white top, with a green-edged cloth over his shoulder, stands at a square white-brick fire pit where a flame burns, tending it with a ladle-like implement. A seated figure in white clothing sits at the left edge, partly visible. Around the fire are brass oil lamps, small brass bowls, plates of fruit, sweets and pastries, a plate of flower petals and a stack of white cotton balls. Behind them stand two dark figures in orange garments that look like statues, and a deity murti in red sits before a gold arch. A framed portrait of a saffron-clad man with long hair and a mala sits on a wooden chair at right, draped with orange and red cloth.A photograph inside a temple shrine room showing a homa fire built in a square white-washed brick fire pit. A seated priest in white dhoti and white shirt with a white shawl, wearing spectacles, feeds offerings into the flames with a ladle-like spoon. A woman in a magenta-pink sari with small embroidered motifs leans forward and places an offering into the fire with a stick. Brass oil lamps stand around the pit, and a plate of fruit including pineapple and oranges sits in front. Behind them are gilded deity murtis under ornate arches, with garlands, and a framed portrait with orange garlands. Others stand at the right edge.October 16 20102010-10-16 +1 copiesJune 23 20172017-06-23A photograph of a homa in a dimly lit temple hall. A white brick fire pit holds a bright flame, with a ladle and a brass bowl beside it. A man in white shirt and trousers stands with palms pressed together in prayer, a rudraksha mala around his neck and a wristwatch on one wrist. A woman in a brown sari with glasses and a dark mala stands at right. In the foreground a person in white sits cross-legged facing the fire with hands extended. Behind the fire, a framed portrait garlanded with red and white flowers rests on a wooden seat draped with a striped cloth. Brass oil lamps, a brass kalasha and fruit offerings are placed around the pit.January 06 20182018-01-06A homa fire ceremony inside a hall with white draped cloth overhead and a decorated shrine behind. A fire burns in a brick fire pit decorated with flowers and marigold garlands, with brass vessels and a plate beside it. A bare-chested priest with a shaved head sits at the fire, holding a flower-garlanded object, wearing an orange-red shawl. A man in white with an orange-red shawl stands with palms pressed together. Women in white saris with gold borders and orange-red shawls assist at the left, and a seated woman in a red-and-gold sari extends her hand toward the fire at lower right. Many seated devotees fill the background, and a deity murti sits in an arched shrine.2015-07-17July 17 20152015-07-17Indoor temple hall at night with white walls and carved pillars. A man in a white dhoti and white shawl stands at a low brick fire pit, bending over offerings. A woman in white kneels in the foreground holding a brass plate of fruit and flowers. Three women in yellow and orange saris sit on the right, one in a red-bordered sari. Behind them an altar holds deity murtis draped in garlands and a framed portrait with orange cloth and marigold garlands. Brass lamps, a kalasha, metal vessels and coconuts sit on the floor.