Skip to content
Nithyanandapedia
A ritual homa is performed on a red-carpeted hall in a temple setting. Priests in white dhotis and bare upper bodies, some with gold-bordered shawls, stand at a fire pit where flames rise. One priest holds a long ceremonial pole or pot aloft over the fire while another assists. Behind them a decorated deity murti is draped in a red and gold cloth with garlands and marigold strings. Devotees with orange and red clothing and marigold garlands stand on the left, some with folded hands. Two large decorative parasols with gold trim stand near the pillars, and yellow marigold garlands hang from the ceiling. Brass pots and offering plates with flowers sit on the floor.

More like this

Open the gallery
April 14 20182018-04-14A temple ritual inside a pillared hall with a red-carpeted floor. At right, a bare-chested priest in white dhoti and shawl pours or offers from a ritual vessel toward a fire pit where flames rise, surrounded by marigold-decorated altar tables, brass vessels and fruit trays. Beside him, a white-clad assistant holds a sacred item. On the left, a row of people in saffron and orange robes, rudraksha malas and marigold garlands stand with hands folded, some women in blue and purple saris. Ornate umbrellas and marigold festoons hang from the pillars and ceiling. No clearly identifiable a person is visible in this scene.2018-04-14Photograph of a ritual at a temple hall with a red carpet and tall pillars. Priests in white dhotis perform a fire homa with smoke rising from a pit at the right, while one priest holds a garlanded object. Devotees in orange and saffron robes and colourful saris stand in rows on the left, some with hands folded. Two large ornate purple and gold umbrellas hang over the scene. Marigold garlands, banana leaves, brass vessels and flower-decorated trays sit on the floor. Several figures wear rudraksha malas.2018-04-14April 14 20182018-04-14A temple ritual on a red-carpeted stage with garlanded pillars and marigold strings overhead. Shirtless priests in white dhotis with gold borders and red-and-gold shoulder cloths stand beside an ornately decorated deity murti draped in flower garlands, a kalasha and brass lamps placed before it. Robed attendants in orange and saffron hold ceremonial staffs and fans, and a woman in a blue-and-gold sari stands at left under a decorated umbrella. Banana leaves, fruit plates and flower offerings lie on the floor, and a crowd in orange and saffron watches from behind. The setting suggests an abhishekam or puja in progress.2018-04-14April 14 20182018-04-14A homa is performed on a red-floored hall with a fire burning on a raised brick altar decorated with marigold garlands and banana leaves. Several priests in white dhoti with gold borders and bare upper bodies stand around it; one pours liquid from a brass vessel into the fire while another holds a brass pot. Beside them, an ornate golden umbrella and a heart-shaped floral backdrop frame the scene, with coconuts and flower garlands at right and marigold strands hanging from the ceiling.2018-04-14April 14 20182018-04-14April 14 20182018-04-14April 14 20182018-04-14A photo of a homa or fire ritual inside a decorated hall with marigold garlands hanging from the ceiling and pillars. Four priests stand at the fire pit, the central one wearing a red-and-gold turban and a gold necklace, with the others bare-chested in white dhotis with gold borders. Two of them pour from vessels and hold garlands. A small flame burns at the fire pit, surrounded by brick-shaped offerings decorated with flowers and coconuts. On the left, a seated figure in saffron-coloured clothing with a garland and a woman in a purple sari sit near a peacock-shaped decoration. Golden parasols and brass pots are visible in the foreground.2018-04-14A temple ritual in a pillared hall decorated with marigold garlands and hanging red and purple lanterns. In the foreground a fire pit with flames and marigold-garlanded brick borders holds a homa, with a priest in white dhoti and gold-bordered shawl tending it. Behind, a man in white dhoti with gold border and beaded necklaces stands beside a brass kalasha and tall marigold-wrapped pots and a silver umbrella. To the right, a red-and-green garland-draped canopy shelters a golden oil lamp stand. Several men in saffron and orange clothing stand in the background, with rows of devotees behind them. Brass vessels and offerings lie on the red floor.2018-04-14