Skip to content
Nithyanandapedia
A Pongal celebration in an open-sided hall with a red-and-white painted pillar. A standing man on the left wears a tall red-and-multicoloured turban, a long garland of white flowers, a gold necklace and a maroon wrap; his hands are folded in front of him. Several men and women in saffron-orange robes kneel and work around a white kolam floor design bordered by yellow marigold garlands. Two men in orange cloth pour liquid from a vessel and tend a small pit, while a woman in orange bends over a platter of bananas, fruit and vermilion-red flowers. Clay pots draped with marigolds and a pineapple sit on the ground, and banana leaves hold savouries on the left. Behind them a crowd in orange and white stands watching, with drummers at the back.

More like this

Open the gallery
January 14 20182018-01-14A Pongal ritual inside an open-sided pavilion with bamboo and palm-leaf decorations. Several people in saffron-orange robes stand and kneel around a sand-floored area with clay pots and stone hearths, one with a fire built from stacked bricks ringed with marigold garlands. A woman in a teal sari kneels at lower left stirring from a clay vessel. Along the right, a platter of fruit, bananas and sugarcane sits on a kolam-decorated floor beside brass lamps and flower-covered offerings. A bare-chested man in orange garments and rudraksha-style mala raises a hand near the altar, and a woman in an orange sari stands at the right edge. The atmosphere is of a festival puja.2018-01-14Pongal celebration outdoors under an open pavilion at a temple site. A man in a maroon-brown dhoti and a red-and-white turban stands with palms joined in namaskar, wearing a long white flower garland and heavy gold-toned necklaces. Behind him, a line of devotees in saffron-orange robes and rudraksha malas stand with hands folded, and a white-clad man and women in colourful saris also join. Two women in orange saris on the right hold offering plates. On the ground, a kolam of white rangoli patterns is outlined in yellow marigold garlands. Clay pots filled with flowers, a pineapple, bananas, a brass lamp, and trays of rose petals and fruit sit on striped mats. Three stacked clay-brick hearths with sugarcane and flower decoration form the Pongal cooking area. Drummers in orange stand behind, and a striped ceremonial umbrella stands at the top. Roughly 25 to 30 people are visible.2018-01-14A photograph of a Pongal celebration in an open-sided pavilion. Saffron-robed sannyasis and women in orange saris stand on a red mat around a clay pot sun offering, with a kolam of white rice flour and flower garlands on the ground. A man in a maroon robe and gold-bead necklace, with a red turban and flower garland, stands at left with hands joined. A bare-chested sannyasi with rudraksha beads stands with palms together, while a woman kneels to arrange brass plates, bananas, sugarcane, and offerings on a striped cloth. Clay pots, a brass lamp stand, and a saffron banner with a bird emblem complete the scene. Visible people number about ten.2018-01-14January 14 20182018-01-14A Pongal ritual in an open-sided pavilion at an adheenam. On the sandy floor, clay pots with brass lids and yellow marigold garlands sit beside a white kolam rangoli design. A clay stove with a bronze pot is ringed by flowers. A standing man in a maroon dhoti and maroon shawl, wearing a long garland and gold necklaces, holds his hands together. Men in saffron cloth and rudraksha malas stand at the right, one tending brass lamps. Leaves on the left hold banana, fruit and sweets offerings. Women in saffron and white and children stand at the left edge. A saffron flag hangs on the right pillar.2018-01-14Outdoor Pongal-style ritual in a covered courtyard. A large white kolam with floral border sits on the earth, surrounded by yellow and red marigold garlands, clay pots with mango leaves and coconuts, pineapples, bananas and brass plates of offerings. Saffron-robed sannyasis and women in orange and red saris stand and bow with hands folded. A standing man in a red-and-gold turban, gold necklaces and a garland on the left looks on. In the right foreground a saffron-clad man lies prostrate on a striped mat. Brass lamps and a decorated ceremonial umbrella with a kalasha emblem stand at right. Approximately ten people are visible.2018-01-14A Pongal ritual on bare earth under an open pavilion. In the foreground, a kolam of white rangoli lines surrounds a pair of earthen pots with marigold garlands and a bundle of sugarcane. A brick hearth with a clay pot sits in the centre of the courtyard, decorated with yellow flower garlands. Four men in saffron-orange dhotis and sashes stand or kneel by the offering tables; one kneels and lights a lamp on the ritual platter, while others stand with hands folded. A woman in orange stands with palms pressed together. On the left, a man in a red-brown robe with a maroon turban and layered bead and flower garlands stands with hands folded beside a red carpet, with a young girl in white and several other people in orange behind him. Trays of bananas, fruit and offerings sit on striped mats, and a saffron banner with a bird emblem hangs at upper right.2018-01-14Outdoor pavilion with a red floor cloth, leafy bamboo and mango-leaf decorations, and a mud-plastered ground. A man in a maroon-brown dhoti with a saffron-red turban and a marigold garland stands at left, while saffron-robed attendants and a bare-chested man in orange cloth tend the ritual area. Several clay pots with leaf-wrapped rims sit on flower-strewn mud platforms beside a white kolam design and bananas, fruit and offerings on banana leaves. At right, a decorated altar holds flowers, oil lamps and a row of silver-toned items, with saffron-and-white triangular banners hanging on the posts.2018-01-14January 14 20182018-01-14A photograph of a Pongal celebration in an open-sided hall with a dirt floor. In the foreground, earthen pots (pongal pots) rest on banana leaves, decorated with marigold garlands and set within a white rangoli kolam outlined with yellow flowers. Two men in saffron-orange robes stand at a fire pit, one kneeling and tending the flame while another in orange with bare upper body and rudraksha beads stands nearby. A man on the left wears a red-brown dhoti, garlands and an ornate headwear, with hands folded in prayer. Behind them, several people in red and orange robes stand near drums. An altar holds fruit, flowers, brass lamps and bananas. Orange and yellow flag banners hang from the rafters.2018-01-14January 14 20182018-01-14