Skip to content
Nithyanandapedia
Night gathering of many people seated on tiered stone steps beside a waterfront, lit by bright floodlights and strings of colourful lights. In the foreground a bearded man in a maroon turban and a leopard-print wrap stands with his hands on his hips, wearing a large gold-beaded necklace. Around him, seated devotees wear white, orange and maroon clothing, some with ash-smeared bodies and rudraksha beads, and kalasha-like metal vessels stand on the steps. A pair of drums rests at left.

More like this

Open the gallery
Night ritual photograph at a stepped sacred pond or ghat. In the foreground a man in a maroon-brown dhoti-style garment with a leopard-print cloth wrap, a dark turban, and a thick gold and yellow flower garland stands on the steps with hands on hips. Behind him seated devotees fill the tiers, many in white, orange and saffron clothing, some wearing rudraksha malas, with a large drum at left and rows of black Shiva lingam stones and oil lamps on the steps at right. Strings of coloured lights hang in the background. a person candidate is not clearly identifiable from appearance, so the central figure is described by role only.2016-12-08Night photograph of a large outdoor ritual on stone steps lit by bright floodlights and strings of coloured lights. Many seated devotees, mostly in white and light clothing, fill the tiered steps, with black Shiva lingas arranged along the stairs in front of them and small oil lamps glowing. In the centre stands a bearded man with a dark wrapped head cloth, bare-chested, wearing a long yellow-gold garland and a leopard-print dhoti over a maroon cloth, hands on his hips. Red flags flutter along the railings on the right. The setting suggests a Rudrabhishekam ritual at a pond-side ghat, though the standing man's exact role is not stated.2016-12-08Night photo of a large outdoor ritual gathering on stone steps lined with string lights and bright floodlights. Hundreds of people sit in rows, many in white, saffron and orange clothing, some bare-chested, with drums and small oil lamps near the front. A bearded man in the centre walks down the steps wearing a dark maroon head wrap, a large gold-coloured beaded necklace and a patterned leopard-print lower garment. Several Shiva lingas sit on the steps to the right.2016-12-08December 08 20162016-12-08December 08 20162016-12-08December 08 20162016-12-08December 08 20162016-12-08Night-time photo at a tiered stone ghat beside a ceremonial pond, with rows of seated devotees on the steps. In the foreground stands a bare-chested man in a dark red-brown sarong with a leopard-print wrap, a golden necklace and a wrapped reddish turban, appearing to be a priest or sannyasi standing on the lowest step. Rows of black Shiva lingas with lit oil lamps line the steps on the left, and red flags and string lights decorate the scene. Strong floodlights illuminate the crowd. A banner on the right is mostly out of frame. The setting suggests a Rudrabhishekam ritual.2016-12-08Night photograph of a large outdoor Rudrabhishekam ritual at a stepped pond area lit by floodlights and strings of lights. Many devotees sit on red stone steps in rows, many with small black Shiva lingams set before them, some with oil lamps. A standing man in the foreground, wearing a brown turban with an ornament, a gold-and-orange beaded garland, and a leopard-print and brown wrap, stands with hands on his hips on the lower steps. Red flags and an illuminated pavilion appear at right.2016-12-08Night outdoor ritual at a stepped pond with a large crowd seated on the steps. In the foreground a standing man wears a maroon-and-brown turban with a crescent emblem, a long gold-beaded mala, and a leopard-print cloth wrap over a dark red dhoti, with hands on hips. Seated men in orange dhotis and rudraksha malas, some with ash-marked faces, flank him, and a pair of drums sits at right. Many devotees in white and colourful clothes sit behind, with small oil lamps glowing along the steps and blue lights above.2016-12-08December 08 20162016-12-08December 08 20162016-12-08