Skip to content
Nithyanandapedia
Night ceremony at a sacred fire pit lit with a large open flame. A central figure with long dark hair, wearing an orange-saffron garment, a gold-coloured garland and a rudraksha-style necklace, sits on a raised ornate silver-and-wood seat holding an open book. Around the fire, seated devotees in orange and saffron robes with gold-trimmed borders hold ritual items and sit in rows; bald men in orange shawls sit at the front left with offering plates nearby. Standing devotees behind wear saffron saris and necklaces, and coloured string lights glow in the background. Pooja offerings and brass vessels lie on a white cloth beside the homa pit, indicating a fire ritual.

More like this

Open the gallery
March 10 20132013-03-10March 10 20132013-03-10A photograph of a fire ritual at night. A central figure with long dark hair sits cross-legged on a raised golden throne draped with a leopard-print cloth, wearing an orange robe and layered garlands of gold-yellow beads, holding a small object in one hand. Before him a square homa fire pit burns with flames and stacked logs, with brass vessels and offering trays around it. Around the fire, shaved-headed men in orange robes and rudraksha malas sit in rows, several with hands raised in mudra or holding ritual items. Women in orange and red saris with gold borders and beaded necklaces sit or stand behind them, and a woman in the foreground with her hair pinned up faces the fire. Coloured string lights glow in the background. Visible people number roughly thirty.2013-03-10A night homa ceremony around a square stone fire pit with a large open flame rising from it. A seated figure on an ornate silver-and-gold chair draped with a leopard-print cushion wears orange robes, a long rudraksha mala and ceremonial gold necklaces, with long swept-back dark hair and a holding an open book. Around him, a large group of women in orange saris with yellow borders and rudraksha malas sit close together, some holding small brass vessels and ritual items. Shaven-headed men in orange robes and beaded malas sit at the front left, with brass pots, offerings and leaf-wrapped bundles on a white cloth beside the fire. A man in white with a camera stands at the upper left, and colourful lights glow in the background. Swamiji (probable): the seated figure in orange with long hair, rudraksha mala and gold necklaces, presiding at the homa.2013-03-10March 10 20132013-03-10March 10 20132013-03-10A photograph of a night homa at a square fire pit lined with white-painted brick, where flames rise from burning wood. A man with long, swept-back dark hair and a saffron robe with gold-threaded trim and layered beaded necklaces sits on a raised seat before an ornate silver-framed backrest, holding a paper while his hands are raised. Around him, saffron-robed women in orange and red garments with gold borders kneel and sit with palms pressed together, many wearing beaded necklaces and bangles. Shaven-headed men in saffron and orange shawls, some with tilak marks, lift their hands near the flames. Coloured fairy lights glow in the background, and a small silver vessel and offering items sit near the fire pit. A crowd of onlookers in the foreground and background watch the ritual.2013-03-10March 10 20132013-03-10March 10 20132013-03-10March 10 20132013-03-10A photograph of a homa fire ritual at night. A square fire pit with a bright flame is at the centre, surrounded by many people in saffron-orange robes with rudraksha malas and yellow-gold sacred threads. Several women seated on the right raise their hands and gesture toward the fire, while men with shaved heads and white forehead markings sit on the left and front. A woman in orange sits on a raised seat behind the fire pit, with a silver-framed mirror-like panel behind her. A brass pot and offering vessels sit near the fire. Roughly 40 people are visible.2013-03-18March 10 20132013-03-10