Skip to content
Nithyanandapedia
A photograph of a large indoor hall during a Samaya Deeksha homa ritual. Several male priests with bare upper bodies and white dhotis sit on a patterned mat at left, several seated with microphones on stands before them. A priest in orange-brown cloth stands near the centre tending the fire. Behind them a crowd of devotees in white clothes sits on the floor. Golden ceremonial stands with trident-topped poles and an elaborate gold throne with red cushions are at left. At the foreground right a priest in a red headpiece works over a floral mandala of marigolds and coloured powders, with a brass vessel and a kalasha with flower garlands nearby. A deity murti sits in a decorated shrine at the back. Smoke rises from the homa fire.

More like this

Open the gallery
A large hall during a Samaya Deeksha homa ceremony. In the foreground, several priests in white and saffron dhotis sit on the floor at microphones, and a priest on the right in white and orange clothing tends the proceedings beside a brass pot. A blue cloth-covered table holds a decorated mandala of coloured powders, ringed with yellow and white flower garlands, with a brass bowl of liquid nearby and a brass vessel with flowers. Behind them, a deity murti and a seated figure in a golden canopy form, garlanded in orange marigolds, sit on a raised platform beside striped mats, with brass lamps and a kalasha. Dozens of seated devotees in white fill the hall.2015-07-17A photograph of a ceremonial hall during a homa for samaya deeksha. In the foreground, two priests in white dhotis sit on a red cloth, one chanting into a microphone. A fire burns in a homa kunda surrounded by flower-decorated offerings, with a deity murti garlanded in marigolds nearby. Behind them, a seated audience of men and women in white and saffron clothes fills the hall, with a decorated shrine and a small child in the front rows.2015-07-17July 17 20152015-07-17July 17 20152015-07-17July 17 20152015-07-17A homa ritual in a covered hall with a brick fire pit in the foreground. A shirtless priest in white dhoti sits at left, waving a ladle or stick over the pit, which holds offerings and marigold garlands. A standing man in a white dhoti and orange-red shawl with a beaded necklace stands at right with hands folded. Two seated men in saffron-and-purple attire with white cloth chant at a microphone, one in the background at right. Behind them stands a gold-framed altar with a seated deity murti draped in marigold garlands, flanked by golden kalasha-style vessels and brass lamps. Gold-and-red ceremonial umbrellas decorate the sides of the hall.2015-07-17A large hall during a homa fire ritual, with a crowd of dozens of seated devotees in white and saffron clothing filling the floor. In the centre, a sacred fire burns in a brick fire pit, and a priest bare-chested in a saffron-bordered cloth sits near it, extending his arm toward the flames. Foreground figures in saffron and orange cloths sit facing the fire, one with a microphone in front. To the right, a large blue-draped table holds marigold garlands and offerings. A decorated green canopy throne with a portrait stands at the back-left beside brass lamps and kalasha-like vessels. Ceiling fans, white draped tents and cameras surround the hall. A homa for Samaya Deeksha is suggested by the page, but only the fire ritual and seated gathering are visible. The visible crowd is roughly 50 to 100 people.2015-07-17July 17 20152015-07-17July 17 20152015-07-17 +1 copiesA temple-style ritual hall with white canopy draping, where several people in white and rust-coloured clothing attend a ceremony around a blue-skirted altar heaped with yellow flowers. At centre, a metal deity murti is decorated with orange and yellow marigold garlands, and to the right a gilded throne backs a seated deity figure hung with garlands. A bare-chested priest in white dhoti and orange shawl sits at left beside brass vessels, flower pots, and fruit offerings. A standing man in white dhoti with a gold-trimmed cloth and a kneeling figure with orange wrap and rudraksha are among the participants, with microphones on stands in the foreground. The scene appears to be a samaya deeksha homa ritual.2015-07-17July 17 20152015-07-17 +1 copiesA homa fire ceremony in a tented hall. Several priests in white dhotis and saffron-red shawls tend a brick fire pit with burning wood and offerings. A bare-chested priest kneels at left with palms joined. On the right, priests in orange-red shawls chant beside a garlanded deity murti seated under a gold canopy. Brass lamps, kalasha pots, marigold garlands and offering plates surround the blue-draped altar. Gold and red ceremonial decor frames the scene.2015-07-17