Skip to content
Nithyanandapedia
A temple puja scene with a large multi-armed deity statue in orange and gold holding weapons, flanked by a colourful painted backdrop. At right, a decorated deity murti in red and green is heavily garlanded with red roses, yellow marigolds and white flowers. In the foreground, a priest in an orange-brown robe with a shaved head, arms raised, holds a lit lamp toward the deity while several seated men in white dhotis and a young man in a maroon shawl with rudraksha-style beads sit with palms pressed together. Brass vessels, bowls, a plate of offerings and a stack of yellow-gold blocks sit on the floor. The scene reads as a puja or aarti with flowers and a lamp, and no one in the frame is clearly identified as Swamiji.

More like this

Open the gallery
A temple puja in progress before a colourful multi-armed deity statue with a trident and sword, painted in orange, red and gold against a turquoise wall. To the right, a richly decorated deity murti is adorned with red, orange and yellow flower garlands and a silver trident. In the foreground, a priest in saffron-orange robes with white body markings holds a lit flame or aarti lamp and offers it toward the deity. Beside him, a young man with a bare chest and short hair sits with palms joined in prayer, and several men in white dhotis join in worship. Brass bowls, oil lamps, flower offerings and mango-like fruit sit on a tiered stone base in front of the deity.2013-05-17May 17 20132013-05-17May 15 20132013-05-15May 19 20132013-05-19A ritual worship scene in a temple hall. A tall young priest with long hair, wearing a rust-orange dhoti and a saffron shawl, stands at left holding a lit oil lamp in one hand and a long ceremonial rod in the other, offering light. Seated devotees in white clothes and orange shawls, including a man with a rudraksha mala and a woman in white with a red bindi, have palms pressed together. Behind them a painted deity murti with multiple arms stands before a green and orange backdrop. At right, a gilded canopy shelters an altar decorated with flower garlands, with a deity murti and a brass plate of offerings, and a flame burns in the foreground. The scene shows a puja or aarti with devotees in attendance.2013-05-13May 17 20132013-05-17A ritual puja on a decorated stage with a multicoloured backdrop. A shaven-headed priest in orange robes kneels at left, holding a small lamp or vessel over a brass plate, while other robed attendants in orange and maroon sit nearby. A standing figure in orange-brown wrap and rudraksha mala stands behind. Smoke or incense haze fills the air. Behind them is a golden deity murti with multiple arms holding weapons, and a pair of decorated deity statues in red garments with flower garlands in yellow, white and purple. Brass pots, flower offerings and marigold garlands fill the foreground, with a fan at left.2013-05-19May 17 20132013-05-17May 17 20132013-05-17A ritual puja is performed before a large painted deity murti with four arms holding weapons, its shrine decorated with red and white flower garlands and brass lamps. In the foreground, a shaved-headed priest in an orange-saffron dhoti and shawl, seen from behind, holds a flaming oil lamp (aarti) toward the deity. Facing him, a young man in a maroon dhoti with white sandalwood markings on his arms and a beaded necklace sits cross-legged, hands folded. Brass vessels, a silver tray with food, a bowl of rice and a kalasha stand on the floor. Seated devotees in white clothes with orange garlands, hands joined in prayer, watch from the left and background.2013-05-17A photograph of a Hindu puja at a temple-style hall. Two priests sit cross-legged on a raised platform in front of a large orange-painted deity statue holding weapons and a dark floral-garlanded altar with flower-decked deity figures. The priest in front has a shaved head, wears an orange-brown cloth and a long rudraksha-style mala, and has white marks on his arms and chest; he holds a lit lamp and performs aarti with folded hands. The second priest beside him wears a maroon cloth with a bare upper body and white marks. Brass plates, bowls, a kalasha-style vessel and flower garlands in red, orange and yellow surround the altar. Several standing and seated devotees in white are visible in the background. The pictured priest's identity cannot be confirmed from appearance, so he is described by role only.2013-05-17A standing man in an orange-brown dhoti and orange shawl with long loose hair holds a lit lamp toward a golden canopied shrine to the right, where garlanded deity murtis sit under floral decoration. Behind him a painted deity figure with multiple arms carries a trident. Seated devotees in white and orange clothing, including a shaved-headed youth in orange with a tilak, press their palms together at a fire pit with yellow ghee blocks, brass plates and offerings in front of the shrine, indicating a puja or homa. a person cues are the long swept-back hair and orange-brown ritual dress of the standing officiant; the appearance is not certain enough to confirm identity.2013-05-13