Skip to content
Nithyanandapedia
A photograph of a fire ritual at a temple-like setting. An elderly man with white hair and a white beard, wearing an orange saffron robe and a red tilak mark on his forehead, stands behind a flaming fire pit with his hands extended over the flames. In the foreground, a bare-chested man with dark hair, seen from behind, wears a white sacred thread and holds a brass plate near the fire. To the right, a seated man in a light shirt watches. A golden ornate throne with red cushions stands at left, backed by a large banner decorated with orange and white flower garlands. Stacks of orange cloth and books sit on a table at right. The flames and smoke create a warm, hazy light.

More like this

Open the gallery
January 12 20152015-01-12A photograph of a ritual fire scene with an open flame rising from a shallow metal plate held by a bare-chested priest with a long grey beard, rudraksha malas and white markings on his chest, wearing a white dhoti. Around the fire, several men in saffron and orange robes stand with hands folded in prayer or raised in blessing; one wears a rust-red turban and a rudraksha mala. Smoke and haze fill the air. a person is not clearly identifiable here, so the central figure is described by role only.2015-01-13Aarti ritual at an outdoor pandal with white canopy and colourful backdrop. A bearded elder in white dhoti and shawl, with forehead tilak, rudraksha mala and gold pendant, holds a brass plate of burning camphor flame. Beside him, a figure in a red-orange turban and saffron-red cloth with long dark hair and rudraksha bracelets extends hands toward the flame. Behind them, saffron-robed sannyasis press palms together or cover their heads, and devotees in white and orange stand watching.2015-01-13Smoky ritual scene with a flaming oil lamp or camphor flame on a silver plate. A bald man in white kurta with an orange-and-gold shawl and rudraksha mala holds the plate steady, while a bare-backed priest with long grey hair, white sacred thread and a ceremonial gold-bordered cloth lifts the flame. Around them devotees in saffron and orange robes and turbans raise their hands in gestures of worship, with marigold garlands and a white sacred-ash mark visible. The aarti or puja is performed in a hall filled with smoke and light.2015-01-13A seated man in saffron-orange robes and a beaded rudraksha-style necklace sits on a red-cushioned throne with gold trim, holding a lit flame over a plate. A second person in white dhoti with bare chest and white sacred ash marks kneels at a fire pit, holding brass lamps and making offering. Standing behind are a bald man in orange robes with a mala, a woman in a red sari, and seated devotees in white and orange. Flames rise from the square fire pit, petals are scattered on its edge, and palm trees fill the open-air background. Appears to be a fire ritual or aarti at an outdoor ashram setting.2012-05-03 +2 copiesA photograph of a ritual fire ceremony under a tent with orange-saffron clad men. In the foreground an elderly bearded man with long white hair and a yellow tilak on his forehead, bare-chested with a dark rudraksha mala and gold pendant, holds a copper plate with a flame. Behind him several men in saffron robes stand with hands folded in prayer, one wearing an orange turban. On the right a man with long dark hair in an orange turban and saffron shawl raises his hands to his head in reverence. Colourful banners hang in the background.2015-01-13July 11 20122012-07-11A photograph of a fire ritual in hazy light: a worshipper with long grey hair, bare-backed with white sacred thread, lifts a brass plate of flame above their head while several people around them raise hands toward the fire. At right, a man in orange-saffron robes wears a white tripundra on his forehead and a rudraksha mala. A bald man in white with orange-bordered shawl and beaded necklace stands at left. Orange garments and multiple gold bangles are visible among the hands, creating an aarti or homa moment in an open tent setting.2015-01-13Photograph of a ritual scene in hazy light. A bare-chested man with a rudraksha mala and gold pendant kneels at right, hands extended over a red-and-orange cloth-wrapped object set on a tray of flowers and offerings. A man in orange robes and orange shawl stands centre, reaching toward the bundle, with a grey-bearded man in orange at left and a bald man in white with an orange shawl at far right. The seated figure's chest is marked with white ash and a forehead tilak. a person cues are weak here: the seated man has a rudraksha mala and ceremonial gold pendant but short greying hair and no crown or turban, so identity is uncertain and he is described by role as the seated ritual participant.2015-01-13June 05 20122012-06-05June 05 20122012-06-05Outdoor ritual scene in morning mist with bright haze. A bald man in white clothes and an orange sash stands at the left edge. Several saffron-robed sannyasis and turban-wearing men in orange and maroon stand in a crowd. A bare-chested priest with white ash markings and a white dhoti pours or offers smoke near a fire pit, while a man in a yellow dhoti and yellow shawl joins palms in prayer. A brass oil lamp sits on the ground in the foreground beside flower petals and a small offering tray. No candidate for a person is clearly identifiable from appearance, so no identification is made.2015-01-13