Skip to content
Nithyanandapedia
A smoky night homa at a temple campus. A square fire pit lined with white marble glows orange in the centre. Several people in white dhotis and shawls sit around it, one holding a brass plate of offerings. In the foreground, a figure in a long saffron-orange robe stands near the fire, and another saffron-robed attendant stands further back. Brass vessels, a kalasha-like pot, small lamps and flower offerings sit on the floor. Hazy smoke fills the upper scene.

More like this

Open the gallery
A smoky night homa at a fire pit, with a large square fire pit glowing orange in the foreground. Several seated priests in white dhotis and shawls sit around it, one holding a brass plate. Two standing figures in orange-red robes stand in the centre, one holding a tray of offerings and the other standing tall beside them. Brass oil lamps, a kalasha and small puja items sit on the altar, with paper lanterns hanging above in the dim background.2010-11-05Night homa ceremony in a smoky temple hall. A fire pit with a raised white stone rim sits in the foreground, and a figure in an orange robe is seated at its edge, hands raised over the flames. A standing figure with long dark hair, wearing a leopard-print shawl over an orange garment and a rudraksha mala, stands behind the fire pit. Several men in white dhotis and white shawls sit around the pit, and an attendant holds a silver tray of offerings. Brass vessels and oil lamps are arranged on the platform. Another man in orange stands at the back left, and more devotees in white sit at the right edge.2010-11-05A smoky homa fire pit, a square brown-walled altar edged with blue and white and strewn with yellow marigold petals, dominates the foreground with a small flame visible at its base. A brass ladle is held at right by a man in a yellow-and-orange headwrap and yellow marigold garland. Around the pit, about a dozen men stand in ritual dress: several bare-chested men in pink and yellow dhotis wear gold-toned necklaces, a man in saffron-orange robes holds a brass plate, and an elder with long white hair and a rudraksha mala raises a hand in blessing. Other men in orange robes and a man in a yellow cloth stand nearby under a white canopy, with thick smoke rising through the scene.2015-01-13A homa fire ritual in a large hall filled with smoke. A yellow-framed fire pit burns at the centre, with brass bowls of offerings and flowers around it. Three young men in white dhotis with rudraksha malas sit cross-legged behind the pit, hands folded or in prayer. To the right, a priest in red-brown robes with gold trim and a red turban stands at the fire, bare-chested with white markings on his arm, while another attendant in orange garments stands beside him. Seated devotees in white and orange fill the background.2014-09-06Night homa at a temple ritual site, with white smoke rising from a square fire pit in the foreground. A standing man with long dark hair wears a leopard-print jacket over an orange garment and holds a silver tray with offerings. Seated beside the fire pit, a shaved-headed priest in orange robes performs the ritual with raised hands, and other priests in white dhotis attend nearby. Brass pots, cups and bowls, red kumkum and a flower arrangement sit on the platform. Devotees in white sit with folded hands in the background, and oil lamps hang from the dark ceiling. The swami identity is uncertain from appearance alone, so the standing man is described by role only.2010-11-05January 13 20152015-01-13Night homa at a fire pit on a white marble platform, with thick smoke rising through the scene. A standing figure with long swept-back dark hair wears an orange robe under a leopard-print shawl and holds a ceremonial object. Seated before the fire, a bald man in an orange robe presses his palms together in prayer on a low wooden seat with a patterned cloth. Men in white dhotis sit around the pit with brass plates of offerings, and brass vessels, kalasha-style pots and a flower arrangement sit in the foreground. Ornate red and gold pillars frame the dim hall. Several seated devotees in white clothing watch on the right. a person cues are the swept-back long hair, leopard-print shawl and orange robe on the standing officiant, but the appearance is not clear enough to confirm identity.2010-11-05Night homa at a square white-tiered fire altar with smoke rising from a glowing pit. Priests in white dhotis and shawls, some with bare upper bodies and white-marked foreheads and rudraksha malas, sit cross-legged around the altar. On the left a figure seated on an ornate gold-trimmed red throne wears a saffron garment with patterned shawl and a long ceremonial necklace, though the face is partly obscured by smoke and distance. Trays of food offerings, bowls, a kalasha pot with flowers and brass ladles sit in the foreground. Oil lamps hang overhead and a crowd watches in the dark background.2010-11-05Night-time fire ritual under an open-sided pavilion hung with orange pennants. A bald man in orange robes with white markings on his forehead and arms holds a silver tray aloft above a square fire pit where flames rise. Men in white dhotis with rudraksha malas sit around the pit, some holding offering plates, and a standing man in orange watches. A red and gold throne stands at left, and a golden ceremonial pole rises at right. Smoke fills the air and a few onlookers are visible at the edges.2010-11-05November 05 20102010-11-05A photograph of a homa fire pit, a rectangular stone-lined vedi with a smoking fire inside, dense smoke rising across the frame. A priest in a red dhoti and red shawl with gold-bordered edges, wearing a yellow-and-gold turban and a rudraksha mala, stands bare-chested at the right, holding a long bamboo rod over the pit. Behind him, several men in saffron-orange robes and white garments stand with hands folded or raised in devotion. Marigold and mixed flower garlands line the edge of the pit, with a small oil lamp at the left and a silver plate of petals and offerings in the foreground.2015-01-13November 05 20102010-11-05