Skip to content
Nithyanandapedia
A photograph of a homa ritual inside a decorated hall with banana leaves, mango-leaf festoons and smoke rising around a fire pit. A standing priest in orange robes with a hood and a long beaded necklace pours grain from a brass plate into the fire. Seated participants in white with yellow shawls, and a bearded man in orange with a garland, sit around the altar, which holds brass vessels, marigold petals and a kalasha-like pot. A woman with light hair is seen from behind in the lower foreground.

More like this

Open the gallery
September 25 20092009-09-25 +1 copiesA 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.2009-09-26September 26 20092009-09-26September 25 20092009-09-25 +1 copiesNight outdoor homa at a fire pit lined with marigold petals, under a thatched canopy with banana leaves and hanging foliage. A standing man in saffron-orange dhoti and shawl with a mala necklace holds a silver plate of offerings over the pit with his right hand. Beside him a man in white with a yellow shawl carries a tray. Seated on the left, a bearded man in orange with a gold-beaded mala and a younger man in orange tend the fire, and several women in white and yellow sit behind them. A brass plate of sweets and oil lamps are on a cloth at right, and a young man in white and yellow sits at far right.2009-10-17Night outdoor homa at a fire pit lined with white stone and marigold petals, smoke rising. A standing man in orange robes and a gold necklace pours offerings from a silver plate into the fire. Beside him a younger man in white with a yellow shawl holds a tray of red items. Two orange-robed men with rudraksha malas sit at the pit, another orange-clad woman sits at left, and seated figures in white and yellow line the background under a leafy canopy. Brass vessels and cloths rest on the ground.2009-10-17Evening 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.2009-09-25May 13 20132013-05-13 +1 copiesA photograph of a homa ritual under a decorated canopy strung with orange and green streamers and banana leaves. Thick smoke rises from a fire pit at centre, where a sannyasi in saffron-orange robes with rudraksha malas stands pouring offerings from a tray. Behind him, a man in white with a yellow sash holds a tray of offerings. Seated devotees in saffron and white with yellow sashes surround the fire, and a woman with a braid sits in the foreground. On the right, a brass oil lamp, a kalasha-style pot, fruit, sweets and flower garlands are arranged on a table in front of a decorated deity figure.2009-09-26Night outdoor fire ritual under a draped canopy with banana leaves and hanging leaf garlands. A standing man in orange robes and a gold chain pours or offers sticks from a brass plate into a square black fire pit edged with white and flower petals. Seated beside him, a bearded man in orange robes and beads and several other people in orange and white clothes with yellow shawls participate. A woman in white with a yellow shawl sits at right near brass vessels and offerings. Brass bowls, plates and a small lamp surround the pit, indicating a homa-style fire ritual.2009-10-17Night-time fire ritual under an open-sided pavilion hung with orange pennants. A bald man in orange robes with white markings on his forehead and arms holds a silver tray aloft above a square fire pit where flames rise. Men in white dhotis with rudraksha malas sit around the pit, some holding offering plates, and a standing man in orange watches. A red and gold throne stands at left, and a golden ceremonial pole rises at right. Smoke fills the air and a few onlookers are visible at the edges.2010-11-05November 05 20102010-11-05