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Nithyanandapedia
A shaved-headed man in saffron-orange robes with a red-and-gold border stands at night under a canopy of orange, green and leafy decorations, holding a metal plate of burning camphor flame with red and yellow flowers. He wears a long beaded gold-and-white necklace and gold bangles. Around him seated devotees in white clothes with yellow shawls press their palms together, and some hold small oil lamps. In the foreground a woman's head is visible, and a decorated white basket with banana leaves and flowers sits at right. Smoke drifts across the scene, indicating an aarti ceremony during a chandi homa.

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September 25 20092009-09-25 +1 copiesNight photograph of an outdoor ritual under a canopy of orange, green and yellow striped cloth with dried leaves hanging on a string. A man in an orange saffron robe with a red shawl, rudraksha-style beaded necklace and white vibhuti marks on his forehead holds a silver plate with a burning flame and flowers, performing aarti. Two seated young men in white with yellow shawls sit nearby; one holds a microphone and sings. A banner in the background reads Nithyananda Flower Stall. Banana plants frame the scene. Visible cues are not distinctive enough for a confident identification, so the flame-bearer is described by role only.2009-09-27Night photograph of a shaven-headed man in orange saffron robes and a red-and-orange head wrap holding a brass aarti lamp with several flames, his face in profile, with a string of beads at his neck and a bangle on his wrist. He stands in a smoky, dimly lit space with strings of small lamps and green banana leaves overhead. In the lower left, a woman in a yellow blouse and white garment and other spectators stand at the edge of the frame, and a brass oil lamp with marigold garlands sits at lower right. The setting appears to be an evening ritual with aarti and lamps.2009-09-25A photograph of a ritual at night under a leafy canopy strung with dried leaves and fabric. A man in an orange saffron dhoti and shawl with a beaded rudraksha-style mala stands at centre holding a silver aarti plate with a burning flame and red and yellow flower offerings, performing aarti. Smoke drifts through the frame. In the foreground right, a brass oil lamp with lit wicks and yellow flowers stands near the camera. Behind, a few seated people in yellow and white garments, one holding a microphone, are partly visible at the edges of the frame.2009-10-17Night-time ritual under a pavilion with green and orange festoons and mango-leaf torans. A standing figure in orange robes and a matching orange shawl, with a mala around the neck, holds a brass tray with a lit flame, releasing smoke into the air. Devotees seated before him wear orange and white with yellow shawls, several with hands folded in anjali. In the foreground are seated people in orange, and a brass lamp stands at right beside banana plants. a person is the orange-robed figure holding the flame, identified by saffron robes and mala cues; the scene reads as an aarti or homa-style fire offering.2009-09-26September 26 20092009-09-26 +1 copiesOctober 17 20092009-10-17 +1 copiesA standing priest in saffron-orange robes with a matching head cloth and a beaded necklace holds a silver plate of flaming camphor or oil lamp fire aloft during a homa-style ritual at night. Smoke drifts through the scene beneath a canopy decorated with orange and green cloth streamers and banana leaves. Seated devotees in orange and red garments, some with palms pressed together, sit behind metal bowls at a fire pit. A framed portrait garlanded with marigolds stands at left, showing a figure in orange robes. Other attendees in dark clothing watch at the lower right.2009-09-25Evening ritual at a pandal with banana leaves and palm fronds overhead. A standing man in saffron-orange robes and a matching hood, with gold beaded necklaces and bangles, holds a lit flame on a brass lamp and performs aarti. Several seated participants in white clothing with yellow shawls surround him; one holds a brass plate of offerings, and another plays a round frame drum. A microphone stands at left, and smoke drifts through the scene. A man in red-orange garments with a beaded necklace sits near the microphone.2009-09-25A standing priest in saffron-orange robes with a red-bordered drape over his head and a gold bead necklace with a pendant stands at a homa fire pit, holding a lit lamp in one hand and a bell in the other. Smoke rises around him under a canopy of palm leaves and fresh green foliage. Several seated people in white and yellow-bordered clothing sit around the fire, some with hands joined. In the foreground, flower petals, silver and brass vessels, and a brass tray with offerings lie on the white altar.2009-09-25A night homa fire ceremony under a decorated open-sided pavilion hung with orange and blue fabric and green leaf strands. Smoke rises from a fire pit bordered with yellow and white flower petals. A saffron-robed priest stands at centre holding a brass tray of offerings, wearing an orange shawl, an orange head wrap and a beaded necklace. To the left, two orange-robed priests kneel with brass bowls of yellow flowers and grains. Behind them, a man in white with a yellow shawl holds a basket. To the right, two seated devotees in white dhotis with yellow shawls sit before a brass oil lamp stand, banana bunches and a wooden table of offerings. Several audience members are seen at the bottom edge.2009-09-26November 05 20102010-11-05