Skip to content
Nithyanandapedia
A photograph of a devotional puja inside a room with a white cloth on the floor. Several seated devotees with palms pressed together face a framed portrait on the right, garlanded with white and pink flowers. The portrait shows a smiling figure in saffron-orange robes and a rudraksha-style bead necklace, seated before a tree trunk, though the portrait is a printed picture, not a physical person. In the foreground a man in an orange kurta kneels with folded hands, and a woman in a maroon and cream sari sits with her back to the camera, wearing a dark bead mala. Offerings on the cloth include bananas, fruit, a lit oil lamp, flower petals, a kalasha-like brass vessel, kumkum and incense sticks. Around six people are visible, mostly women in cream and blue saris, plus men in white shirts seated at the back.

More like this

Open the gallery
A photograph of a padha pooja-style gathering in a bright ashram room with a framed horizontal painting of a crowded temple scene on the wall. A figure with long, swept-back dark hair in an orange sleeveless robe sits cross-legged on a white bolster-covered seat at right, palms pressed together in anjali, with an orange cloth folded beside them. Seated devotees on the floor face him, many with hands folded in prayer; several women wear saris in blue, red, pink, mustard and beige, some with rudraksha-style malas, and men wear white shirts and dhotis. Several hold brass plates with flowers and offerings. Behind, a standing woman in a white sari with green border holds papers, and a garland of orange flowers and green leaves hangs above a doorway at upper right.2010-02-18A seated puja inside a room with white-tiled floor. A man in orange robes on the left leads the ritual, while women in cream and white saris sit cross-legged with folded hands, one wearing a turquoise blue sari and one in maroon. Behind them, more seated devotees, including a man in white, watch. In front, a white cloth holds bananas, oranges, a plate of sweets, a kalasha, small brass lamps, a thali and a leaf. On the right, a framed portrait of a young man in orange robes with a rudraksha-style necklace and a raised hand, garlanded with pink and white flowers, stands on a wooden altar with fruit and flower offerings. The portrait is printed, not a living person in the scene.2009-08-20July 25 20092009-07-25A small indoor room with plain whitewashed walls hosts a home worship scene. A woman in a white sari with a gold border sits at left, holding a lit oil lamp aloft toward a framed picture on a draped table. The framed picture shows a woman in orange garments seated beneath a tree, garlanded with flowers. Two brass oil lamps flank the picture, with bananas and fruit on the table. Before the seated group is a small stone fire pit with burning embers and a dish, and a row of small round offerings is laid on a cloth. Around it sit a man in white shirt with palms pressed together, a boy, another man in white, and several women in white and ochre saris with flowers in their hair, hands folded in prayer. A young child sits in front, and a metal plate of offerings and a brass tray lie on the floor.2009-10-10A seated figure with long, swept-back dark hair wears an orange saffron garment draped over the shoulder and sits on a white-covered seat with an orange cloth, hands pressed together in prayer, facing a group of devotees seated on the floor. Several devotees in white ritual clothes and rudraksha malas sit before brass thalis holding oil lamps, flowers and offerings; one woman in a yellow scarf and another in white kneel nearby with hands folded. A marigold garland hangs at the top right beside a framed portrait, and a framed painting hangs on the wall above.2010-02-18January 24 20102010-01-24 +1 copiesSeptember 08 20112011-09-08A seated man in an orange sleeveless robe with long dark hair sits on a white cushioned seat with palms pressed together in namaskar. Around him, a group of women in white and cream saris, some with yellow or blue shawls and rudraksha malas, sit on the floor with hands folded in prayer. Brass plates holding flowers, lamps and offerings sit in front of them, and a red-and-cream box rests on a small table nearby. Marigold garlands hang at the top of the doorway, and framed pictures decorate the walls of the room, indicating a padha pooja style devotional gathering in a home setting.2010-02-18A photograph of a seated saffron-robed figure in a pale green room, hands joined in front of the chest, on a large reddish-orange armchair. The figure wears a red-and-white flower garland and a saffron cloth, with long dark hair. Around the chair, devotees sit on the floor holding lit oil lamps and brass plates with offerings, including a yellow-bordered shawl on a woman and white and blue saris. A man in white clothes sits at left with hands folded. Two wooden side tables hold fruit and offerings, and a framed portrait on the wall shows a figure garlanded with red flowers. The scene appears to be a darshan with puja, with the lamps and plates as the central ritual elements.2010-01-19A photograph of a seated man in an orange saffron garment with long, dark, shoulder-length hair, sitting on a white cushioned seat with an orange cloth draped over the armrest. He holds his palms together in namaskar, with his eyes closed. Around him, devotees sit on the floor in a white-walled room. A woman in a blue sari with a red border holds a silver plate with flowers and offerings, and a woman in a grey-white sari with a rudraksha mala and red bangles kneels with her hands folded in prayer. Silver trays of offerings and flowers are placed nearby, and a red tray of fruit sits on a table behind the seated man, with orange garlands hanging above. This appears to be a padha pooja, in which devotees offer worship to the feet of a respected teacher. Several people wear white clothes and rudraksha malas, and a framed painting hangs on the upper wall.2010-02-18A seated figure in saffron-orange robes with long dark hair and a white flower garland sits on a gold-framed red-cushioned seat, palms pressed together in namaskar. Seated devotees on the floor in front of him, in white and cream clothes and a teal saree, hold their hands in prayer near brass puja plates holding oil lamps, flowers and fruit. A standing woman in white with a yellow shawl stands behind them near a deity murti and flower garland, and a man in orange stands at right. Red apples and a small red box sit at the lower right. Walls are white with a green leaf garland and a Nataraja-style image on the left.2010-01-09July 25 20092009-07-25