Skip to content
Nithyanandapedia
Outdoor puja on a paved courtyard under an open-sided pavilion with red metal posts, palm trees and a red brick wall behind. A standing priest in a plain white dhoti and shawl with gold borders, bare-chested, sacred thread and a rudraksha mala, with a tilak on his forehead, holds a lit oil lamp in one hand and a brass bell in the other. Two seated women in front, one with palms pressed together, sit on striped mats beside a brass plate of bananas and fruit, small steel bowls, flowers and a brass vessel near a fire pit.

More like this

Open the gallery
A homa fire burns in a square stone fire pit under an open-sided roof in an ashram courtyard lined with palm trees. A priest in white dhoti and shawl with gold borders, a tripundra on his forehead and a rudraksha mala around his neck, holds a lamp near the flames. Two seated women in white sit on mats and a third seated figure in red and white appears behind them, with a tray of bananas, brass bowls and flower offerings in front. Colourful cloth-wrapped kalasha-style pots with leaves are arranged in the lower left foreground. A brick wall and small buildings stand in the background.April AF 2012A standing priest in white dhoti and shawl with gold borders pours water from a steel vessel over a small offering area on a mat under an open-sided pavilion. He wears a rudraksha mala and a white forehead mark. Two devotees sit on the mat: a woman in a white sari with a floral pattern, hands folded in prayer, and a seated man in a maroon shirt. A brass plate holds bananas, apples and other fruit, and steel bowls and small vessels rest on the mat. Behind is a paved courtyard, a red boundary wall, a tree and palm trees.December 26 20102010-12-26 +3 copiesDecember 26 20102010-12-26A shaved-headed priest in white dhoti and shawl with gold borders sits cross-legged before a fire pit built of brick-shaped blocks. He wears a long beaded necklace and bangles, a tilak on his forehead, and feeds the flames with a ladle held in his right hand. Silver bowls of offerings, a silver vessel and a tray sit beside him. Behind him three brass kalashas and potted palms stand near a red-and-white striped backdrop, and a woman in a white and yellow sari sits on a plastic chair. Yellow flowers decorate the blocks and three ornate vases with yellow flowers stand on the right.2011-12-28December 26 20102010-12-26 +2 copiesDecember 26 20102010-12-26December 26 20102010-12-26A shaved-headed priest in white dhoti and shawl with gold trim sits cross-legged before a square fire pit at an outdoor ritual site, wearing a long rudraksha-style bead necklace and a forehead tilak. He holds a ladle over the flames while brass bowls of offerings, coconuts and yellow flowers lie on an orange cloth beside him. Behind him musicians play a drum and a wind instrument, and an assistant in white shirt watches. Red and white striped walls and green plants frame the courtyard.2011-12-17Outdoor ritual at an ashram courtyard with palm trees and orange-walled buildings. A standing priest in a white dhoti with gold borders and a gold-bordered white shawl, wearing a gold necklace, holds a sheet of paper and reads or chants from it beside a square fire pit on a white-draped platform. Brass oil lamps, a blue kalasha pot with a red flower garland, a plate of fruit, and small offerings sit around the pit. Behind him stand a red-and-gold ratha/chariot frame and a row of small stone statues. Hanging orange cloth and a red circular frame appear overhead.2010-12-26A photograph of a homa fire ritual at an outdoor ashram courtyard. A young shaved-headed priest in white dhoti and shawl with gold beaded necklace lights an oil lamp held over a square homa pit lined with white stone. Beside him an older priest in white with gold necklace and glasses holds a small ritual vessel near a microphone stand. A woman in white sari sits in the background among metal offering bowls of turmeric, flowers and grains. Potted plants and an orange wall surround the scene.2011-12-31