Skip to content
Nithyanandapedia
A night-time ritual scene at an outdoor open-air pavilion decorated with string lights, hanging triangular banners and green leaf garlands. On a raised platform, a deity murti decorated with white flower garlands and a colourful backdrop is attended by a priest in white dhoti performing puja, with brass oil lamps and offerings in plates. Rows of seated devotees in white clothes sit on mats facing the platform, many shaved-headed, some wearing yellow shawls. A standing man in white with an orange-yellow shawl stands at left beside the altar. Dense crowd of roughly several dozen people visible.

More like this

Open the gallery
October 16 20102010-10-16 +2 copiesOctober 15 20102010-10-15Outdoor ceremony at dusk on a raised stage in front of an orange-painted building, with a large white canopy and banana-leaf garlands overhead. Several deity murtis are arranged on the altar, including a pink Ganesha with a red garland at left and a central figure under a decorated arch. Priests in white dhotis, some bare-chested, sit at a white altar with brass lamps, plates of offerings and a kalasha, performing puja. In the foreground, a seated audience of mostly white-clad devotees and women in yellow and orange saris faces the stage. At right, a seated figure in a saffron robe sits on a red and gold peetha/throne, with a standing man in white and orange-trimmed clothing beside him. Printed banners on the wall carry text and the year 2010.2010-10-15Outdoor ashram stage with orange walls and a tented canopy, decorated with green leaf garlands, colourful striped tassels and a large white floral backdrop. A seated figure in saffron-orange robes sits on a red-and-gold throne at the right, the only person on the raised stage, with a red chair beside it. Before them, priests in white dhotis perform a puja at a central altar with a deity murti, a kalasha and offering trays of fruit and flowers. A large crowd of devotees sits on the ground in white clothes and yellow shawls, several with shaved heads, facing the stage. A banner with Sri Nithyananda Dhyanapeetham lettering hangs in the background.2010-10-15October 15 20102010-10-15October 03 20142014-10-03September 25 20092009-09-25Outdoor ritual ceremony in a walled courtyard with terracotta-coloured walls, a corrugated roof, and bunting and banana-leaf festoons. A large white umbrella canopy and a central decorated mandap hold deity murtis, including an elephant-headed figure with a garland, surrounded by white floral arrangements. In front, white-clad priests sit around a low offering table laden with fruit, sweets and oil lamps, performing puja; one priest has a shaved head and wears a white dhoti. Devotees, many in white and saffron, sit on the ground in rows facing the altar. On the right, a figure in saffron-orange robes sits on a red velvet throne with gold trim beside the stage, with a green-and-white tall vase ornament nearby. A banner with Kannada and English text is hung on the right.2010-10-15October 16 20102010-10-16Evening ritual in an open-sided pavilion decorated with green garland swags, hanging orange and white tassels, and rows of string lights. Priests in white dhotis sit cross-legged at a central altar draped in red-and-white striped cloth, with brass vessels and offerings in front of a decorated deity murti backdrop. At the right, a figure in orange robes stands beside a red-cushioned throne-like seat occupied by a person in blue and gold attire. Seated devotees in white and yellow sarees and dhotis fill the floor in front, facing the altar.2010-10-15 +1 copiesA ritual hall under a palm-leaf and orange-trimmed canopy with string lights, where a standing sannyasi in saffron-orange robes and a head wrap holds a plate before a small fire, with a rudraksha mala visible at his chest. Seated devotees in front, several in saffron and others in white with yellow shawls, sit with hands folded in prayer. On the right, a large decorated deity murti of three goddess figures stands on a white-draped altar lined with potted plants and brass vessels, with a brass lamp and garlands at its base. Marigold garlands and a dim, smoky interior complete the scene.2009-09-25September 26 20092009-09-26