Skip to content
Nithyanandapedia
Night photograph of a crowded outdoor procession along a narrow earthen path lined with dense crowds of devotees dressed mostly in white. At centre, a bearded man with long dark hair wears a white robe and an orange-saffron shawl, standing beside a tall metal rod at the edge of a dark fire pit with ash. Behind him, a white-robed man stands with an orange scarf draped over his shoulders. Along the path, people hold long wooden poles, and a man in a white shirt with a purple lanyard stands nearby. A brightly lit ornate tall structure with a golden canopy, possibly a ratha or kalasha-topped shrine, rises in the background under string lights and bunting. Some people are photographing the scene.

More like this

Open the gallery
December 30 20072007-12-30December 30 20062006-12-30December 30 20062006-12-30Night photograph of a fire-walking ritual at an outdoor temple celebration. A long pit of glowing embers runs across the centre, and a man in white dhoti and shirt walks barefoot across it while another man in white stands at its edge. Dense crowds of devotees in white clothes, with orange, saffron and red saris and shawls, line both sides behind bamboo poles. A lit torch or lamp tower with a canopy stands in the background under strings of lights. A drum rests in the foreground.2006-12-30December 30 20062006-12-30December 30 20062006-12-30Night photo of a fire-walking ritual at a temple ground, with a large crowd of devotees dressed mostly in white standing around a path of glowing embers. Two women in white saris with gold borders walk across the coals while a man in white dhoti and shirt watches beside them. In the background stands a tall ornate ritual pole with a palm tree behind it and white temple structures. A man in white with an orange cloth over his shoulder and a walking staff walks at centre-back among the crowd. Strings of pennants stretch across the scene under the night sky.2007-12-30Night photograph of a fire-walking ritual at an outdoor festival. A devotee in a white dhoti and shirt walks barefoot across a glowing bed of embers in a long trench lined with dry straw, hands pressed together in prayer. Another man in white follows behind him. Dense crowds of devotees in white clothes line both sides of the path, many women with braided hair and orange sarees, held back by long bamboo poles. Drummers in white stand at the right edge beside drums. Above, a decorated palanquin or ratha with lamps is lit under a coconut palm, with a strand of bunting overhead. No clear appearance cue for a person is visible among the figures.2007-12-30December 30 20072007-12-30Night photo of a crowd of devotees in white traditional clothes gathered behind wooden barrier poles at an outdoor procession. Many men wear white dhotis and shirts; a few wear orange cloth or beaded malas. A woman with light hair in a white outfit stands at left, and a man with grey hair in an orange shawl stands near the center. At upper right an illuminated ornate palanquin or ratha with lamps and yellow garlands is visible above the crowd. Strands of straw lie in the foreground at right. Strings of small white and blue flags decorate the background.2006-12-30Night-time photograph of a fire-walking ritual at an outdoor temple area. A glowing bed of red-hot embers lies in a trench, with wooden poles and a bamboo-style barrier set along it. A man in a white dhoti and white shirt with a white cloth, wearing a beaded necklace, stands at the centre, while another in white stands beside the embers holding a long wooden pole. Behind the barrier, a large crowd of devotees in mostly white clothing, with some women in orange and colourful saris, watches closely. A brass pot sits at the lower left, and strings of triangular pennants and a lit lamp hang overhead near a palm tree and small white shrine structure.2007-12-30December 30 20062006-12-30