Skip to content
Nithyanandapedia
A nighttime outdoor ritual on a red-carpeted ground beside a stone-rimmed fire pit filled with dark ash and scattered red flowers. A priest in white dhoti with bare upper body kneels at the pit, while a standing priest in white dhoti and shawl holds yellow flowers and offerings. Around them, sadhus in saffron and orange robes with tilak and turbans stand near a red draped backdrop. A man in orange with a long cloth and a wrapped turban stands to the left beside a bronze-like ornate lamp stand with marigold garlands. Brass vessels, banana and fruit offerings and marigold garlands surround the pit. Decorated shrines, deity murtis and a red and white canopy stand in the background, and a man at right holds a microphone. The scene suggests a homa at the pit, with devotees gathered behind.

More like this

Open the gallery
January 31 20182018-01-31Night outdoor ritual on a red-carpeted ground lit by floodlights. In the centre a bare-chested man in orange-brown cloth with a dark turban stands with hands folded in front, beside a tall brass lamp-stand with yellow marigold garlands. Behind him, an ornate silver palanquin and altar are decorated with flowers and bright cloth, and devotees in orange and white stand near a shrine. At right, a man in white dhoti bends over a small square fire pit with offerings, beside a carved wooden canopy and marigold-decorated pots. Cameras are visible at left. This appears to be a homa or puja at a festival procession with floodlit altars.2018-01-31Photograph of a ritual homa at an outdoor-style temple setting with red draped backdrop and red floor. A central square stone fire pit (kunda) holds dark ash, scattered with red flower petals and white powder. A man in white dhoti with bare chest and white markings speaks into a microphone while holding a small object; a rudraksha-style bead necklace is visible. Behind him stands an attendant in an orange robe and turban holding a long staff. Three priests in white dhotis with bare torsos and beaded necklaces, one with a pink headband, tend the ritual; one squats at the pit. On the right is a flower-garlanded altar with yellow marigold garlands, a golden arched frame, and white conch-shaped vessels. Fruits, bananas, brass plates and oil lamps sit in the foreground. The man with the microphone shows no identifiable a person-type cues such as hair, crown or saffron clothing, so identity is uncertain. Six people are visible.2018-01-31January 31 20182018-01-31A ritual abhishekam scene in a red-draped tent. At the centre, a priest in a white dhoti with a yellow sash kneels beside a rectangular stone basin filled with liquid, pouring offerings with a small vessel. Nearby, a bare-chested priest in white stands with folded hands, and two men in white dhotis with saffron shawls hold microphones and chant. A figure at left wears a brown-and-tiger-striped garment with bare arms and wrists adorned with bracelets, standing with hands folded in namaskar. Brass plates of fruit, flowers, coconuts and oil lamps sit on the floor, and a marigold-garlanded altar draped in gold cloth stands at right. Behind them, a wall of small deity figures decorated with garlands is visible, and a few women in red saris stand near the back.2018-01-31January 31 20182018-01-31Night outdoor homa at an ashram courtyard. A brick fire pit with lit flames sits on a white stepped stone platform scattered with flower petals. A woman in white with a yellow head wrap bends forward pouring an offering from a metal bowl into the fire. Beside her a bald man in white with a red-and-yellow cloth and rudraksha-style beads holds a brass bowl of red flowers. Behind them a standing man in white with a gold chain and beads holds a ritual vessel, and a woman in white with a yellow shawl stands further back. Seated devotees in white line the left side. A large carved wooden drum-like object and brass lamps with oil flames sit to the right, with a garland of red flowers near a brass vessel. Decorated painted pillars and leafy garlands frame the scene.2010-10-16 +2 copiesNight-time homa at an open pavilion. In the foreground, a shirtless priest in white dhoti with a gold-bordered yellow cloth and a red tilak sits cross-legged before a wooden fire altar, holding a ladle over the fire. Beside him, other priests in white and saffron-orange cloths sit on mats. Smoke rises from the fire pit, which holds brass vessels, lit oil lamps, rice offerings and red flower petals. To the right, a figure with a red-and-orange turban, a long rudraksha mala and a brown-and-red robe sits on an ornate gold-and-red throne. Behind him, a screen shows a colourful image. Strings of lamps hang overhead, and deity murtis draped in garlands stand at the left.2016-12-07Night-time homa at an outdoor ritual space under strings of coloured lights. A priest in orange with an orange turban and white body markings sits before a fire pit lined with yellow cloth, pouring offerings into the flames. Around him, several men in orange or white dhotis stand and sit, handling brass vessels, a tray of red flower petals and a plate of white grains. On a raised gold throne with a red cushion, a seated figure in a maroon robe and rudraksha mala receives the ritual. A standing attendant in white dhoti and bare chest with a long garland stands at the right beside a floral-decorated altar. Colourful striped mats cover the ground.2017-04-16December 07 20162016-12-07Night-time outdoor homa at a temple-style setting. In the foreground a bare-chested priest in white dhoti with a yellow-bordered cloth sits beside a flaming fire pit ringed with marigold and red flower garlands, pouring an offering from a small steel bowl. Behind him another priest in white dhoti and gold-bordered cloth stands tending the ceremony, and a third figure kneels at a second fire pit further back. A red-draped table holds flowers and petals, and fruit and brass vessels sit on the ground. Scaffolding and red curtains frame the scene.2018-03-02January 06 20182018-01-06