Skip to content
Nithyanandapedia
A homa fire pit lined with bricks and decorated with a rangoli border of orange and white marigold-coloured patterns sits in the foreground of an open courtyard at night. Behind it a seated priest in saffron-orange robes and a rudraksha mala performs the ritual, with a white cloth on his head and a bare upper body, while kneeling participants in white clothes and red-maroon shawls fill the rows behind him. A large brass multi-tiered oil lamp stand with many lit lamps stands at right, and a brass vessel rests on the floor nearby. A golden-yellow canopy and stage lights frame the space.

More like this

Open the gallery
Photograph of an indoor ritual session in a hall with a tiled floor and colourful striped mats. In the foreground a man in an orange-red turban and brown dhoti sits cross-legged before brass lamps, bowls and a kalasha-like vessel, holding a ceremonial implement. Beside him a younger man in white dhoti and shawl sits near brass oil lamps. Behind them, thirty or more seated participants in white and red-orange clothing fill the hall, facing the front. Two shrines with deity murtis under gold canopies stand at the back, flanked by yellow draped fabric. Gold lamp stands and brass vessels fill the left foreground. The turbaned figure's identity cannot be confirmed from appearance; he is described by role as a priest officiating the ritual.2015-07-09July 09 20152015-07-09Indoor yagna scene in a hall with a sunken brick fire pit at centre, flames rising from it and a copper bowl set beside it. A man in orange-brown garments with a rudraksha mala and long swept-back hair stands at right, pouring offerings toward the fire. Rows of seated participants in white and saffron-bordered shawls, some with lanyards, face the fire. Tall brass oil lamps stand at left and right, and a brass kalasha-style lamp is in the foreground. A purple light and pink-gold drapery frame the room.2015-07-09Night-time homa at an outdoor ashram setting. A square wooden fire pit with stepped yellow-painted sides holds a burning fire with dry grass and wood. In the foreground at right, a man in white dhoti and shawl with a gold border, rudraksha mala and bead bracelets sits cross-legged, hands raised over the fire. Next to him a bald man in orange-saffron robes sits behind a microphone stand. Two women in dark red-brown garments sit at left, one reading from an open book. Brass pots, a plate of offerings, oil lamps and a small kalasha surround the pit. Behind, a large seated crowd in orange, white and saffron clothing fills the ground, with a dark statue or murti at the back.2014-10-27A homa fire ceremony in a hall filled with seated devotees, many dressed in white with saffron-orange shawls. In the foreground a square brick fire pit, its rim decorated with red and white flower patterns, holds a small burning flame and smoke rising. A priest in saffron shawl sits with his back to the camera at left. Opposite, a bare-chested officiant with a red head covering, rudraksha mala and white dhoti sits behind a silver stand, holding a ritual item over the fire. Brass lamps, a flower-garlanded deity murti at left, bananas and bowls of offerings sit around the pit. Two microphones stand in front.2015-07-17A homa fire burns inside a tiered brick fire altar with red and yellow painted bricks on a tiled floor. A figure in an orange-brown turban and wrapped saffron-toned cloth, wearing a long rudraksha-style mala and a large gold pendant, kneels at the altar and pours from a brass ladle into a bowl. Behind, a large seated audience in white and cream clothing with orange shawls and red garlands sits in rows. Tall brass oil lamps stand at the right edge. The scene looks like a fire ritual during a session.2015-07-09October 12 20152015-10-12A photo of an indoor ritual hall with brass oil lamps (diyas) in the foreground and a red-and-gold throne draped with colourful flower garlands on the left. A man with a saffron-orange turban and dark-toned robes sits cross-legged on a low wooden seat before a square brick-and-coloured-powder yantra or fire-pit altar, with a small brass pot nearby. Behind him, a seated group of devotees, mostly women in white and cream saris, some with red-and-white shawls and garlands, sit on mats. A decorated deity murti in an ornate shrine stands on the right under gold umbrellas. The seated figure with the turban appears to be a person (appearance-based), identified by the saffron turban and ornate ritual dress while performing the puja.2015-07-09A homa fire ritual in a tent with a brick fire pit burning with flames and smoke, flanked by orange marigold flowers. A seated priest with bare shoulders, a red turban and a long rudraksha mala sits behind the fire, tending it with a metal vessel nearby. A standing man in saffron-orange dhoti and shawl with a mala and folded hands stands beside a tiered brass stand of oil lamps, and a large decorated offering platform with garlands sits at right. Rows of seated and standing devotees in saffron and maroon shawls fill the background, with a few children at left and a camera on a tripod at upper left.2015-07-17July 09 20152015-07-09July 06 20152015-07-06Night outdoor ritual at a fire pit: a standing man in a rust-red dhoti and saffron-orange shawl with a rudraksha-style mala holds a lit oil lamp aloft to the left. Seated devotees in white clothes with red waist cloths and orange-red shawls sit with palms pressed together before a stone fire pit with a burning flame and brass offering vessels. A shaven-headed priest in saffron with white horizontal markings kneels at the right foreground. Behind them, a golden-framed deity murti is seen in shadow, with a sanctum and plants nearby; more devotees sit in rows.2013-04-01