Skip to content
Nithyanandapedia
A photograph of a Mahashivaratri ritual at an outdoor shrine with colourful flower garlands. In the centre, a man with a tall, swept-back black hair crown, gold necklace and red-and-gold garland sits on a low platform, smiling, with white sacred ash on his arms and forehead. Around him, several men in saffron-orange dhotis with white ash marks on their bodies and foreheads pour liquid and tend the abhishekam. A large steel vessel stands at left and a small brass lamp is nearby. Behind them stand golden deity murti with garlands. Several devotees in red and dark clothing sit in the foreground, backs to the camera, with hands folded.

More like this

Open the gallery
A photograph of a Pratyakshya Pada Puja ritual at a temple shrine. A long-haired man in a red and orange garment is seated centrally, wearing a large multicolour and gold flower garland, a gold pendant, and his body smeared with white paste. Behind him, a man in an orange dhoti and bare chest pours liquid over a stone pedestal, while another attendant in orange holds a round metal plate. Flower-covered deity murti with golden arms and crowns, decorated in red, yellow and white garlands, stand in the background. Several devotees with shaved heads and white markings sit in the foreground. a person is the seated central figure, with long swept-back hair, ornate gold necklaces and a garland, as the page's pada puja presiding figure.2016-03-07March 07 20162016-03-07March 07 20162016-03-07Photograph of a Mahashivaratri ritual at a temple shrine with flower garlands. A central figure with long dark hair, a green leaf in the hair, a gold chain and a red and yellow flower garland sits smiling, arms extended toward a dark stone lingam-style basin, while others around him kneel. Behind, a tall deity murti in gold and a golden crowned figure are draped in marigold and multicoloured garlands. Around him are devotees in orange and red shawls, one with white vibhuti on the forehead, and a standing man in an orange dhoti and rudraksha mala who pours or tends the basin. Several people are seated in the foreground, and a metal pot stands at left.2016-03-07March 07 20162016-03-07A photograph inside a temple shrine during a Mahashivaratri ritual. At centre, a man with a tall black turban-style hair wrap, a red-and-gold garment, a long gold necklace and a yellow-and-red marigold garland kneels beside a dark stone platform dusted with white powder, smiling, his hands and forearms white with powder. Behind him a man in an orange garment with white-marked arms kneels and tends the platform. Large golden deity murtis with crowns and red-draped figures stand in a niche framed by tall garlands of yellow, red and purple flowers. A man on the left wears a white forehead mark and rudraksha mala, and devotees with white tilaks are visible at the lower edges. Offerings of flowers and fruit lie on the floor.2016-03-07A photograph of a Pratyakshya Pada Puja ritual at a temple setting. A central seated figure with a tall, tightly wound black head-crown, wearing a gold necklace, rudraksha mala, a red-orange garment and a large yellow-and-red marigold garland, has white ash on the arms and is bent forward over a wet stone floor with flower offerings and bananas. Behind him, a standing priest in orange ritual cloth with white markings holds a silver lamp and bell. Behind them, deity murti are draped with multicolored marigold garlands. Seated devotees in striped and plain shirts with white ash marks sit in the foreground.2016-03-07March 07 20162016-03-07March 07 20162016-03-07March 07 20162016-03-07A photograph of a temple shrine during a ritual. In the centre, a bare-chested man with a large swept-up dark topknot and a white-smeared body sits on the ground, wearing a thick multicoloured flower garland and a rudraksha mala with gold ornaments. Behind him, a red-clad figure with a bright orange-robed attendant pours or applies white substance, while devotees in white and orange ritual clothes kneel around the shallow platform. Behind the seated man, deity murti figures stand under arches of yellow, red and purple flower garlands. Lamps and a silver vessel sit near the base. Several people are visible in the foreground.2016-03-07March 07 20162016-03-07