Skip to content
Nithyanandapedia
Night ritual homa at a riverside ghat: a large fire blazes in a rectangular brick fire pit while a man in saffron-orange cloth with a rudraksha mala and painted face sits behind it, pouring offerings into the flames from a metal bowl. Silver trident-topped parasols stand behind him, and brass pots, bowls of flowers and rose petals sit around the pit. To the right, a red-draped platform holds deity murtis garlanded with orange marigolds, and a group of seated people in white and saffron clothing watch. Long silver staffs and a decorative ceremonial bowl with handle frame the scene.

More like this

Open the gallery
A night homa in progress at an open-air site: a square brick fire pit with tall orange flames rising from it. A man seated at left wears a saffron-orange wrap, rudraksha beads and a red-marked forehead, and tends the fire with a ladle near a silver bowl. Behind him stand tall ornate staffs and a silver-framed umbrella. At right, deity murti are dressed in red and gold with orange and red garlands on a red draped platform, and a row of seated devotees watches in the dim light. A brass vessel and flower offerings lie at the front of the fire pit.2014-08-01August 01 20142014-08-01Night-time fire ritual photographed beside a river. A large brick fire pit burns brightly at centre, with flames rising from the offerings. Behind it, a seated figure in saffron-orange robes with a rudraksha mala sits on a raised seat under an ornate silver-fringed parasol, with a trident placed beside it. To the left, a bare-chested man in white dhoti with a red headwrap and rudraksha mala sits with folded hands, and two other priests sit nearby. Several ceremonial staves with fringed parasols frame the scene at right, and a crowd is faintly visible in the darkness. The central seated figure is in saffron clothing; whether this is a person is an appearance-based judgment with uncertain cues, so it is labelled as possible rather than confirmed. The page places this at a Ganga ghat visit during a homa-style fire ceremony.2014-08-01August 01 20142014-08-01August 01 20142014-08-01August 01 20142014-08-01August 01 20142014-08-01Night outdoor fire ritual at a brick fire pit (homa) with a large bright flame. A man in orange-saffron robes with a red-and-orange shawl, rudraksha mala and ceremonial necklaces sits on the right beside an ornate silver chair with a decorated canopy and umbrella; he appears to be the a person, with long hair and distinctive ornate adornments, and is tending the fire with a ladle. Beside the pit, a man in white dhoti with a red headcloth and bare torso sits with a rudraksha mala, and a bald priest in saffron sits near the fire. A cameraman in a white shirt with a camera stands at left. Open books, brass vessels and orange marigold flowers lie on the ground in the foreground.2014-08-01August 01 20142014-08-01August 01 20142014-08-01Night-time homa at a riverside ghat: a blazing fire pit in the centre with ghee and offerings, surrounded by seated priests in white dhotis and saffron cloths. A man in orange robes with a long-haired, seated pose and a rudraksha-style necklace holds an offering toward the fire from a raised seat under an ornate pink-fringed parasol. Marigold garlands, brass vessels, a decorated kalasha-like object and a silver peetha-style stand sit in the foreground, with a small seated group in white to the left. Several people sit close to the fire on dark red cloths. Printed pedia source credit appear at right, but the image is a photograph of the ritual2014-08-01Night outdoor ritual at an open-air ghat setting beside a blazing fire pit of stacked bricks. Two young men in white dhotis and white shawls with rudraksha malas sit at right of the fire. A shaved-headed person in white stands at lower right near brass vessels and a red flower offering. Behind the fire, a red-draped seat holds a small deity murti with garlands. Around 30-40 seated devotees fill the background under spotlights, some in white and orange clothing.2014-08-01