Skip to content
Nithyanandapedia
A photograph of a ceremonial initiation scene. A man with long dreadlocked hair, a beard, and white ash marks on his forehead sits at right, wearing a rust-red shawl and a rudraksha mala, with one hand resting on the head of a kneeling devotee below. Beside him stand bare-chested male devotees in white dhotis with mala necklaces and ash-marked bodies, and a standing woman in a white top at left holds up a small printed paper with a figure drawn on it. Older men and onlookers stand in the background, and a microphone stand and silver ceremonial pillar appear at right.

More like this

Open the gallery
A photograph of a darshan blessing in an indoor hall. A bearded man with long dreadlocks, wearing a red-orange shawl over a bare chest and a dense rudraksha mala, stands at right with one hand extended onto the crown of a seated person's head, whose grey hair is visible at lower centre. At left, a hand holds up a small printed card with a figure drawing toward him. Behind them, several bare-chested men in white dhotis with white and vibhuti-marked foreheads stand with hands clasped in prayer, and a silver ceremonial staff rises at upper right.2018-05-06 +1 copiesMay 06 20182018-05-06May 06 20182018-05-06 +1 copiesMay 06 20182018-05-06A photograph of a seated man with long dreadlocks, a full beard and a bare upper body wrapped in a red-brown shawl, wearing layered rudraksha malas and a gold necklace. He holds a short rod or staff in one hand and extends his other arm toward a young woman on the left who holds up a small white printed form. Behind him, several men in white dhotis with gold borders and bare torsos stand with hands folded in prayer, and a devotee wearing a rudraksha mala looks on. Ornate silver-and-gold ceremonial staffs stand at the right edge. Faces are marked with white and red ritual paste. The setting appears to be a Shiva Deeksha initiation darshan.2018-05-06Photograph of a stage ritual under warm yellow lighting. At right, a long-haired, bearded man with dreadlocks, wearing a red shawl and rudraksha beads, sits with hands extended near a microphone, appearing to officiate. Beside him, a bare-chested young man with a white dhoti and a beaded mala holds a folded paper. A bare-chested middle-aged man in a white dhoti with a gold-bordered cloth stands at centre with a pendant, one hand raised toward his chest. Behind them, a man in yellow kurta and glasses and a young man with a red headband stand. At left, a woman in a cream blouse extends a hand toward the group, and another woman kneels with palms pressed together in prayer. Several people are visible.2018-05-06Photograph of a seated figure with long dreadlocked hair, a dark beard, bare upper body, red-brown beaded rudraksha necklace and a red shawl, hands raised in a gesture while facing a woman in a white sari holding up a folded paper. Behind them stand several shirtless men with yellow-tinted skin and white dhoti-style cloths and beaded malas, some with hands folded in prayer, and a microphone stand is in the foreground. Lit with yellow-toned stage lighting, the scene suggests a blessing or darshan exchange during a ritual gathering.2018-05-06A photograph of a Shiva Deeksha darshan. A bearded man with long dreadlocked hair, wearing a red-brown shawl and dense rudraksha malas, extends his right hand toward the wet hair of a young person at lower left, who has a white-marked forehead. Behind him, several bare-chested men wear white dhotis with gold borders and white body markings, and a woman with a red floral headpiece stands near brass ceremonial staffs at right. The scene appears to be an initiation blessing in a temple-like hall.2018-05-06May 06 20182018-05-06May 06 20182018-05-06May 06 20182018-05-06June 24 20172017-06-24