Skip to content
Nithyanandapedia
A photograph of a ritual scene shot at a low, tilted angle with motion blur and bright light rays through smoke. A person in a yellow and white garment with a green cloth draped over the shoulder is bent forward, leaning over a brass or silver vessel. Garlands of yellow and red flowers hang along a gold-framed edge at left. A metal lamp or vessel sits near the foreground, with smoke and light streaming around it.

More like this

Open the gallery
December 15 20162016-12-15December 15 20162016-12-15December 15 20162016-12-15Photograph of a night ritual at a temple stage, with the image rotated sideways. A bare-chested man in a white dhoti with a yellow shawl and a green-and-white cloth at the waist stands with palms joined in namaskar, wearing rudraksha and bead necklaces and bracelets. Behind him a standing priest in white dhoti with a maroon-bordered cloth holds a microphone. Smoke or incense haze fills the air, and at left are brass ritual vessels, a large gong or drum, colourful draped fabric and flower garlands. a person: the bare-chested man with rudraksha and bead necklaces is a devotee-priest figure in ceremonial dress, and appearance cues are not conclusive.2016-12-15A photograph of a temple ritual with smoke rising through the frame. Two men in white dhotis with coloured borders are seated at the front of a decorated platform, one in green and yellow cloth and the other in red and gold, both holding ritual implements. A large drum-like vessel and brass pots sit on a colourful striped cloth, surrounded by marigold garlands, fruit and flower arrangements. Bright stage lights and a plume of incense or homa smoke fill the upper area, with an ornate decorated structure behind.2016-12-15December 15 20162016-12-15A priest in white dhoti and a yellow-and-blue sash stands at a stone or brass bowl on a flower-decorated altar, pouring from a tall brass or copper pot. He wears a magenta-and-purple turban and a thin necklace, and his bare upper torso is visible. Fine mist or sprayed water catches the light in the air above him, and marigold-orange and yellow flowers and white offerings lie on the altar. Hanging brass lamps and a tented pavilion frame the scene.2016-12-02Photograph of a ritual abhishekam at night under a pale tent canopy. A priest with a bare upper body and a white dhoti with a blue border stands at centre, holding up a silver vessel with a spout over his head, with yellow marigold garlands and a yellow cloth draped over his shoulders. Steam or vapour rises and drifts through the right side of the frame. At left, a second man with a bare chest, a yellow shawl and a small bell in his hand appears partly cut off. The scene suggests a Rudra abhishekam offering.2016-12-02A photograph, rotated sideways, of a temple ritual with smoke and bright light. Three men in white dhotis stand before a decorated altar, one in the foreground wearing a yellow and white cloth and holding a silver-coloured ritual vessel while bending forward. Another man in white with a rudraksha-style mala and bare shoulders stands behind, and a third figure in white is partly visible. The altar is draped in striped fabric and garlanded with yellow and white flowers, with bananas, fruit, a woven basket and brass lamps with flames. Smoke drifts across the scene. No figure is clearly identifiable as a person.2016-12-15A priest in white dhoti and a gold-bordered shawl over a green garment stands at a temple ritual, arms raised high as he pours a stream of white grain or rice from a metal plate onto the altar below. Dense white smoke or incense haze fills the air around him. Pale yellow and white marigold garlands and red and yellow flowers decorate the altar platform, and a brass bowl sits at his left. A rudraksha or bead necklace and a bangle are visible on his wrist. Other people in white ritual clothes are partly visible in the background. The scene reads as a temple abhishekam or grain offering.2016-12-15April 14 20182018-04-14A shirtless priest in white dhoti with gold border and a purple headcloth leans over a ritual altar, pulling a yellow cloth across a yajna area. Marigold and jasmine garlands drape the altar and kalasha pots with coconuts. Behind him a woman in an orange sari stands with hands folded in namaskar, and a few other people are visible at the sides of a pillared hall. The scene appears to be a puja or abhishekam ceremony with a fire and offerings.2018-04-14