Skip to content
Nithyanandapedia
A photograph of a homa being performed at an indoor shrine. A square brick fire pit with a rising flame and smoke sits at centre, and a priest in white clothes and a white shawl pours offerings or ghee into it with a ladle. Around him, two men in white garments kneel and assist, one holding a plate of offerings. A row of small brass lamps and plates is arranged on the floor at left, with bananas, mangoes, apples and other fruit on a tray in the foreground. At right, a man in a dark blue kurta sits near the fire, and brass oil lamps, flowers and a framed portrait hang at the side. Colourful striped fabric hangs from the pillars behind, and a deity image is visible at the top right.

More like this

Open the gallery
A photograph of a homa fire ritual inside a temple shrine. A man in a white dhoti with a red-bordered cloth stands bent over a rectangular brick-red fire altar, pouring or placing an offering into a lit fire with a ladle. Behind him, a framed portrait of a saffron-clad figure with a rudraksha-style necklace is garlanded with red and white flowers, flanked by brass lamps and a kalasha. Two blue-clad standing deity murtis flank the shrine. At left, a man in white sits on a red cushion beside rows of small brass bowls holding offerings. At right, a seated man in a dark blue kurta sits on a red-and-white mat. Fruit, bananas and a green coconut sit on a brass plate at the base of the altar, and oil lamps are placed around the floor.2009-05-28A homa fire ritual in an open pavilion with white pillars and hanging framed photographs. A fire burns in a square brick fire pit in the foreground, with brass oil lamps, bananas, mangoes, coconuts and flower-filled plates arranged around it. A man in white dhoti and shirt with a red-orange shawl over his shoulder leans over the fire, feeding offerings into it. Beside him, a man with long hair tied back, wearing a white garment and a rudraksha mala, stands holding a small item. Seated devotees in white and light clothes fill the floor and white mats, some with hands folded, and a child sits among them. A man in white with a rudraksha mala kneels at the right edge beside offering plates.2009-05-28Photograph of a homa/yagna being performed inside a temple hall with a red-tinged marble floor. Three people sit on the floor: on the left a woman in white clothes with palms pressed together in prayer, in the centre a woman in a white sari with a red border, hands folded, and on the right a man in a dark blue kurta seated before the fire altar. A framed portrait of a saffron-robed figure with long hair and a garland stands on the altar behind a small deity murti and kalasha-like vessels. In the foreground are rows of small brass lamps filled with offerings, a plate of flowers, fruit, bananas, a brass oil lamp and a bowl of grains. Blue and orange robed statues stand in the background. The portrait is printed and not a physical person.2009-05-28A homa ritual in a temple hall with a square brick fire pit at centre. Three men sit on the marble floor: a man in white at left holding a ritual object over the pit, a man in a dark blue kurta in the middle pouring from a vessel, and a man in white with a rudraksha mala at right holding a brass pot. Behind them a framed portrait shows a smiling figure in orange robes with a rudraksha necklace, garlanded with flowers. Brass oil lamps, a kalasha, fruit plates, bananas and a neat grid of brass bowls filled with herbs and grains cover the floor, alongside bundles of wood sticks and vegetables. Orange and blue cloth hangs from the pillars.2009-05-28Two men perform a homa at a fire pit in a temple hall with white marble pillars and striped blue-red-orange decorative pillar cloths. On the left, an older man with glasses in white dhoti and shawl tends the flames. On the right, a man in a dark blue kurta and white dhoti bends forward holding a ritual implement over the fire. Behind them stands a deity murti in a shrine, with a framed portrait of a saint in orange garments garlanded with flowers on a draped table. Brass lamps, a kalasha, banana plants, fruit plates and a red cushion surround the scene.2009-05-28October 16 20102010-10-16 +2 copiesA fire ritual in a courtyard with a homa fire burning in a fire pit surrounded by wooden blocks and offerings. Four men in white kurta-style clothing with yellow shawls sit on mats; one seated in the centre has a yellow shawl and rudraksha mala and performs the ritual. A large framed portrait of a figure in orange robes, wearing a garland of red and yellow flowers and a beaded necklace, sits on a red armchair beside a brass oil lamp and kalasha, with plates of fruit and flowers in front. Small brass oil lamps are arranged on the floor at left, and red curtains and a red-and-white painted wall frame the scene.2010-06-06A photograph of a night homa fire ritual. A large bright fire burns in a square brick and stone fire pit decorated with scattered flower petals. A standing priest in white dhoti and a red-bordered cloth stands behind the pit, holding a long bundle of reeds upright. Several seated priests in white clothing surround the pit; one on the right has hands folded in prayer, and a seated man on the left wears a white shawl and garland. Brass vessels, plates and a lit oil lamp sit at the edge, along with fruit, flower garlands and a decorated Ganesha murti in the background, with strings of lights above.2010-10-16 +1 copiesA homa fire burns inside a square pit built of yellow-painted bricks with marigold petals scattered on top. A seated priest in orange robes and a gold necklace pours offerings into the flames while a large bowl of fruit and brass ritual vessels sit nearby. Behind them, a long-haired man with a crown-like top and a dark mala sits on a maroon cushioned seat holding a staff, flanked by devotees in white and saffron. Several people in white and orange sit on the floor watching the ritual. The yellow painted bricks and fire pit indicate a homa; a fire-lit ritual in progress.2008-03-22September 27 20172017-09-27 +1 copiesSeptember 26 20172017-09-26 +1 copiesA homa being performed inside a large open tent at an ashram. A rectangular fire pit built from stacked yellow-brown bricks holds a bright flame. Around it sit about eight people in saffron and orange robes and white garments, several holding small offerings or open books. A woman in a blue and gold sari wrapped in orange sits at the left beside a kalasha pot garlanded with white flowers, and brass pots, plates of flowers and vermilion-coloured offerings lie on the white cloth in front. A standing person in an orange shawl stands at the right edge, and a carved wooden seat with red cushions sits at the left behind the group. Patterned banners and striped mats hang and lie across the tent floor.2008-10-27