Skip to content
Nithyanandapedia
A shaved-headed man in white ritual clothes sits cross-legged before a square black homa fire pit with white stone edges, scattered with red and orange flower petals. He wears a rudraksha mala and a white shawl draped over one shoulder, and he raises one hand to his forehead while speaking into a microphone on a stand. Behind him sits a large gold-coloured ceremonial carriage or ratha on a wheeled base beside strings of colourful tassels. Bundles of dry wood sit beside the pit, with brass plates, a kalasha-style vessel, banana leaves and fruit as offerings in the foreground. A second person in white sits at the left edge.

More like this

Open the gallery
May 03 20122012-05-03May 03 20122012-05-03May 03 20122012-05-03A photograph of a priest in white ritual dhoti and shawl with a rudraksha mala, seated at a homa fire pit. He holds a bundle of grass or broom-like tool over the offering area and speaks into a microphone on a stand. Kalasha pot with flower garland and green leaves sits at right, along with brass bowls and a brass lamp on the altar. Red and gold decor and a gold canopy are behind him, with a flatbed trolley and a few blurred background figures.2012-05-03A shaven-headed man in a white dhoti and unstitched white shawl performs a ritual at an outdoor altar, holding a brass oil lamp (aarti) in his right hand and ringing a brass bell with his left. A rudraksha mala hangs on his chest. Before him sits a fire pit of dark wood and a silver bowl with red kumkum. Behind him, orange-clad devotees sit in white shirts and orange shawls; one seated man in orange has hands folded. A red-walled building, a golden chariot or palanquin, and kalasha-like offerings with coconuts, flowers and mango leaves stand in the background.2012-05-03A shaved-headed priest in a white dhoti with a saffron-edged cloth over the shoulder sits at a white fire altar, holding a small object in his cupped hands, with a rudraksha mala and a tilak on his forehead. A microphone stands beside him and a brass bell rests on the altar. Behind the altar, bundles of dried sticks, a small clay vessel and a plate of offerings are arranged, and a kalasha-like brass vessel with mango leaves and flower garlands sits at right. Two men in shirts watch from the left, and a red-walled building with hanging tassels stands behind. A homa or puja is being performed.2012-05-03A photograph of a priest performing a homa-style fire ritual at an outdoor ashram setting with red-painted walls and a corrugated roof. Centre, a bare-chested man in a white dhoti and shawl with a rudraksha mala and a white forehead mark stands at a black-topped fire pit and gestures with folded hands while speaking into a microphone on a stand. Around him, a row of seated devotees in orange and saffron shawls and white clothes watch. Foreground right holds a table with brass kalasha-style pots, coconuts, mango leaves, white flowers and bundles of dried wood offerings. Colourful tassels hang at the top right beside a golden ornate structure.2012-05-03December 31 20112011-12-31December 31 20112011-12-31A shaven-headed priest sits cross-legged behind a fire pit with a bright flame, performing a homa. He wears white ritual cloth with gold borders, a rudraksha mala, and white vibhuti lines on his forehead, and gestures with one hand while holding a steel plate of grains. Brass and copper vessels, a ladle, a bell, dry twigs, and an open book sit on the altar, with a microphone in front of him. Red cloth and green leaves lie at the bottom edge, and a terracotta-coloured wall and pillar stand behind under a covered walkway.A photograph of a homa or yagna at an outdoor ritual site. A young shaven-headed priest in white dhoti and shawl, wearing a heavy gold necklace and a red-and-gold sacred thread, sits before a white square fire pit and tends offerings with a silver bowl. An older priest in a white shawl sits beside him. Behind them, women in white saris with gold borders sit, and a golden deity murti stands framed by garlands of flowers. Brass plates of offerings, including fruit and grains, sit on the orange floor. The backdrop has red and white stripes.2011-12-31May 03 20122012-05-03