Skip to content
Nithyanandapedia
Night outdoor homa at a yellow-framed square fire pit with a brick-lined bowl holding ash and embers. Four priests sit on a cloth before it: a bare-chested young man in white dhoti with a rudraksha mala and horizontal white forehead marks, a man in saffron-red robes with a mala, a bare-chested man in orange cloth with a long rudraksha mala and tilak, and a young priest in white with a pink-and-red head cloth beside brass vessels, flowers and a kalasha. Behind them a seated crowd in white and red shawls with rudraksha malas watches, and a deity murti stands in the dark background.

More like this

Open the gallery
Night-time outdoor homa at an ashram, with a square yellow-painted fire pit in the foreground holding a small fire and ash. Four men sit around it on mats: on the left a young man in white dhoti with rudraksha mala and white forehead marks; next a man in saffron-orange robe with red shawl and rudraksha mala; third a man in saffron-orange robe, shaved head and rudraksha mala; on the right a man in white dhoti and shawl with rudraksha mala, red-and-pink turban and flower garlands, pouring from a vessel. Brass kalashas, bowls and flowers sit on the mat. Behind them a seated crowd in white and red shawls, and a bronze-coloured statue with a garland in an illuminated shrine. Many attendees wear white with red shawls.2014-10-11A night-time fire ritual, a homa, at an outdoor square-brick fire pit lined in gold-painted border. A large flame rises from the pit. Four priests in white dhotis with rudraksha malas and white tilak marks sit on the ground, and one in saffron/orange robes with a rudraksha mala holds a ladle at the pit edge; a young assistant in a white dhoti with a red-pink headcloth pours from a copper vessel. Brass pots, steel bowls of grains and yellow flowers surround the fire. Seated devotees in white and red shawls watch from plastic chairs behind, around 20 visible.2014-10-11Night-time homa at an outdoor ashram setting. A square wooden fire pit with stepped yellow-painted sides holds a burning fire with dry grass and wood. In the foreground at right, a man in white dhoti and shawl with a gold border, rudraksha mala and bead bracelets sits cross-legged, hands raised over the fire. Next to him a bald man in orange-saffron robes sits behind a microphone stand. Two women in dark red-brown garments sit at left, one reading from an open book. Brass pots, a plate of offerings, oil lamps and a small kalasha surround the pit. Behind, a large seated crowd in orange, white and saffron clothing fills the ground, with a dark statue or murti at the back.2014-10-27Night-time outdoor homa at a raised yellow-brown fire pit with a burning fire of wood and dry straw. A bald man in saffron-orange robes sits at the centre, speaking into a microphone on a stand. Around him, several people in white and orange-saffron clothes sit cross-legged on cloth mats, many wearing rudraksha malas and red-orange shawls. To the right, a man in white dhoti with gold border and a pink-red headwrap sits with hands folded near brass and copper pots, lamps and fruit offerings. Two women in deep red-brown clothes with rudraksha malas sit at left, one writing in a notebook. A large crowd of devotees in white and saffron fills the background, seated on the ground under a dark sky, with a small shrine and a standing deity murti at the top rear.2014-10-27Night-time outdoor homa at a square yellow-painted fire pit lined with brick and filled with ash. Priests in white dhotis with bare upper bodies, rudraksha malas and white forehead markings sit behind the pit; one in a saffron-orange cloth at centre faces the fire. Brass pots, oil lamps, flowers and small offering bowls surround the pit. Behind, a large seated crowd in white and red shawls watches, with a dark deity murti on a raised platform at the back. Several people are visible in the audience, so the count is 21-100.2014-10-11August 29 20142014-08-29Night-time Ganapati homa at an outdoor ashram setting. A golden-yellow square fire pit holds a flaming fire, with smoke rising. Several priests sit around it in saffron/orange robes and white dhotis, with rudraksha malas and white forehead markings; the priest at right wears a red and gold turban and white garment with gold border and offers something into the fire. Silver and brass vessels, a small pot with yellow flowers, and bowls of grain sit at the edges. Behind them a seated audience in white and red-sashed clothing fills the background, with a microphone stand visible at left. A partial garland hangs in the background.2014-10-11September 06 20142014-09-06An outdoor homa fire ritual in an ashram courtyard. A square yellow-painted fire pit lined with brick holds smoldering embers. Four men in white dhoti and shawls, with rudraksha malas and sacred ash markings on their arms and foreheads, sit in front. The man at right, wearing red-framed glasses, pours offerings from a steel vessel onto a banana leaf of fruits, pots and small bowls. Behind them, rows of devotees in orange and saffron robes with rudraksha malas sit on mats, many with a red-and-white garland. Brass lamps, a bell and a coconut sit at the edges. A tripod camera and a bronze statue stand in the background.2014-10-02An outdoor homa in a sunken square yellow-ochre fire pit lined with brick, with a small fire burning inside. Several priests in white dhotis and shawls sit around it; the foreground priest on the right wears a rudraksha mala and red tilak and places red flowers or fruit onto a tray of brass vessels and bananas. Behind them, a large group of devotees in saffron and orange robes sits on mats and cloth in a courtyard, with a stone Nandi statue on a red pedestal in the background. Brass lamps and a kalasha-style vessel sit at the edges, with banana leaves and fruit as offerings. This is a fire ritual being performed, and a person candidate is not clearly identifiable from appearance.2014-10-02October 11 20142014-10-11August 29 20142014-08-29