Skip to content
Nithyanandapedia
Outdoors under a corrugated metal roof at dusk, a shaved-headed priest in saffron-orange cloth raises a brass lamp or ritual vessel while yellow flower petals scatter through the air. Nearby, a bald man in an orange shawl with a rudraksha mala sits beside a silver bowl of flowers, and an open laptop on a stand shows a video screen. Palm trees and a red compound wall frame the scene, with a red tractor-like cart and a few people in white behind. This appears to be a dhwajarohanam flag-hoisting ritual with flower offerings, and a flagpole is visible at right.

More like this

Open the gallery
Outdoor evening ceremony under a corrugated metal roof with a tall decorated wooden flagpole topped with a golden finial. A man with a shaved head, bare upper body, and a long garland of yellow flowers around his neck reaches up with one arm toward the pole. Around him, shaved-headed men in saffron and orange robes and white-clad attendants crowd the scene, some with yellow petals in motion. A small green-roofed vehicle and a laptop screen showing video sit at left, with palm trees and a red wall behind. The scene appears to be a flag-hoisting procession.2013-12-18December 18 20132013-12-18December 18 20132013-12-18December 18 20132013-12-18December 18 20132013-12-18Evening outdoor ritual under a corrugated metal roof with palm trees behind. On the right, a bald priest in an orange-red dhoti and a sash, wearing a rudraksha mala, holds a large brass aarti lamp with a bright open flame and a brass bell in his other hand. Nearby, several saffron-robed sannyasis and devotees stand in a procession; one holds a bundle of yellow flowers and another wears a white forehead band. A red three-wheeled vehicle and a small laptop screen appear in the background, and a tall flagstaff with red tassels rises behind the priest.2013-12-18Dusk scene under a corrugated metal shelter with palm trees behind. A bare-chested priest in an orange-red dhoti with a sacred cord and shaved head holds a lit oil lamp toward a gilded object above. Several people in white and saffron-coloured clothes sit or stand around him, some with hands raised toward the flame. A gold ornamental pole with bells and a golden makara-like finial hangs over the scene, and a small screen with a picture is visible at left. The ritual appears to be an aarti before a flagpole or dhwaja.2013-12-18December 18 20132013-12-18December 18 20132013-12-18A photograph of a temple shrine with carved stone pillars and an open wooden-framed pavilion. A bald man in an orange-red dhoti with a saffron shawl and a rudraksha-style mala holds a lit flame over a brass plate with a bell in his hand, performing an aarti before a deity murti dressed in a pink and green sari and garlanded with yellow flowers. Another robed priest in orange stands behind holding a burning lamp. On the left, a man in a white shirt holds a book or tablet while a line of people in saffron and orange clothes stand with hands folded, and a drummer is partly visible. Brass vessels, a kalasha and a red cloth sit on the altar slab.2013-12-18Night photograph of a fire ritual (homa) at an outdoor ashram setting. A central standing figure in a saffron-orange dhoti and shawl, wearing a long rudraksha mala, holds a yellow offering tray above a square fire pit with lit lamps and brass vessels. Around the pit, several saffron-clad men and women sit and kneel with folded hands and rudraksha malas; a bare-chested man with a white forehead mark raises one hand. Behind them stand a silver-framed ceremonial object, a laptop on the ground, and a standing fan. The scene is lit by floodlights and oil lamps.2013-03-18Outdoor temple ritual at dusk beside coconut palms. A bare-chested priest in a red-orange dhoti with gold-bordered cloth stands on a raised red platform, holding a flaming camphor aarti lamp in one hand and a bell in the other. Beside him, a row of devotees in saffron-orange cloth with rudraksha malas kneel and hold brass plates. A younger man in a white dhoti holds a plate. Behind them a crowd watches. A tall red-and-gold kalasha-style pillar wrapped in yellow marigold garlands and white cloth stands at left, consistent with a dhwajarohanam flag-hoisting rite. Visible people: about two dozen.2013-12-18