Skip to content
Nithyanandapedia
A fire ritual at a golden temple shrine. Smoke rises from a stone fire pit where a man in an orange turban and orange shawl, bare-chested with white ash markings on his arms and chest, places pieces of watermelon and other fruit into the flames. Behind him stand other men in orange and saffron cloth with rudraksha malas and beaded ornaments. Ornate gold filigree and a carved golden door with cross-shaped cutouts form the backdrop, with a painted panel of blue and pink at left. Offerings of fruit are being made as part of a homa.

More like this

Open the gallery
MAy 27 20212021-05-27June 20 20212021-06-20June 20 20212021-06-20MAy 27 20212021-05-27MAy 27 20212021-05-27Priests in saffron-orange dhotis and shawls, some bare-chested with sacred ash marks, perform an offering at a golden shrine. A heap of green bananas, sliced watermelon, apples and coconuts sits on a white tiered platform in front of a richly decorated deity murti draped in red and yellow flower garlands, with brass kalasha vessels and oil lamps. Smoke rises in the background. The priest in the center wears an orange turban and a rudraksha mala and holds bananas. Gold-leaf carved walls surround the scene.2021-06-20A young man in an orange turban with white tilak marks on his forehead and arms stands at a ritual offering, pouring or placing a green vessel near a heap of bananas while smoke rises from the fire. He wears layered rudraksha malas, gold beaded necklaces and a striped yellow-and-black cloth. Behind him, a second young man in an orange shawl with white ash markings watches the offering in a warmly lit temple hall with gold decor.2021-05-27June 20 20212021-06-20A fire ritual inside a gold-ornate temple shrine. A bearded priest with a shaved-looking head and an orange-red turban stands bare-chested in an orange dhoti and shawl, holding a silver vessel aloft over a burning fire pit with logs and smoke rising. Two other priests in orange cloths sit beside him, one with long dark hair and one with a braided head adornment. Yellow marigold flowers lie on the ground and rows of brass and silver bowls holding white offerings sit in the foreground. Behind them are gold carved pillars and a multicoloured textile panel. This appears to be a homa or yagna with offerings.2021-06-20June 20 20212021-06-20A bare-chested priest in orange dhoti and orange shawl with a rudraksha bracelet leans over a fire pit, placing a whole watermelon into flames rising from a homa. Around the fire lie sliced watermelon, red apples, oranges, green leaves and wood logs on a white stone platform. Behind him are marigold garlands, golden pillars and a brass kalasha-like vessel at lower right, with bananas visible on the right. The scene shows an offering ritual during a homa.2021-06-20A bare-chested man in saffron-orange dhoti and shawl, wearing a striped yellow-and-black turban and rudraksha mala, pours liquid from a brass bowl into a fire pit built of white-painted bricks. Watermelon slices, a heap of dried herbs and offerings sit on the brick platform, with smoke rising. Behind are brass oil lamps, kalasha-style vessels, garlands and a golden deity murti or elephant figure in an ornate shrine.2021-05-19