October 25 2006 - Nithyanandapedia

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October 25 2006

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Outdoor foundation-laying ritual for a temple garbha mandir, with a square pit of white bricks at center filled with burning fire. Seated on green and red mats, a priest in white dhoti and an orange-robed figure with rudraksha mala chant and tend the homa while a large crowd of devotees in white and colourful saris stands with palms pressed together. A brass oil lamp, a kalasha, a metal pot and a small deity murti with flower garlands sit on the mat in front. Trees and a street with a parked vehicle frame the scene.

October 25 2006

June 12 2004

A photograph of an outdoor homa or yagna being performed on a dirt ground at an ashram site. A square fire pit is built from white painted bricks, with dry sticks, a brass vessel with ghee, a small brass ladle and offering plates with bananas and fruit beside it. Several people sit cross-legged or kneel around it: a woman in a cream and gold-bordered saree and glasses in the foreground, a woman in a pink and red saree, and men in white dhotis and shirts with rudraksha malas. Standing devotees in white dhotis with folded hands stand behind near a stone structure hung with yellow and orange flower garlands, and a white-draped table and a red cloth sit to the side. A man in a blue checked shirt sits at right. Participants wear name badges on their clothing.

Outdoor homa ceremony with several devotees seated on the ground in white clothes, palms pressed together in prayer. Brick-lined fire pits, one with a bright flame, are surrounded by brass bowls, a ladle, dried wood pieces, yellow marigold flowers and a red cloth offering. A man at left wears a rudraksha mala and holds his hands in namaskar; a middle-aged man in white with a rudraksha mala sits with hands folded. Other seated devotees in white and some women in light saris sit on mats behind the fire pits.

October 25 2006

Outdoor homa or fire ritual at an open-air ashram setting. A brick fire pit with yellow-painted bricks burns with visible flames, surrounded by white chalk kolam designs on the ground. A seated figure in a white robe with gold-yellow shawl and long dark hair officiates, holding a ritual implement over the fire and a brass bell or small vessel nearby. Brass bowls, a kalasha-like vessel, plates of offerings and a tray with flowers sit around the fire. Behind, a seated congregation of about two dozen devotees in white clothing and rudraksha malas sits on mats, many with hands folded in prayer, including a woman in a teal shawl and women in white saris. A microphone stand stands beside the officiant.

2005-01-24 +1 copies

June 12 2004

An outdoor evening ritual under a thatched canopy strung with leaves and small orange flowers. A yellow brick fire pit (homa kunda) sits on sand in the centre, decorated with pink flower petals, with brass vessels and offerings placed around it. A priest in white with a white shawl and a tripundra on his forehead holds a microphone and gestures over the pit. Men in white dress and rudraksha malas sit on mats near the pit, and a man standing at the right in white with a rudraksha mala holds his hands in anjali. A seated elderly man in white with rudraksha beads sits at the left. Behind them a large crowd of mostly children and women in colourful saris and salwars sits on white plastic chairs and mats, many with hands pressed in prayer. Fruit, flowers and a brass lamp are arranged on a table at the right.

Outdoor homa ceremony beneath a large spreading banyan tree. A brick-lined fire pit with bright flames sits in the foreground on sandy ground decorated with white kolam designs. A woman in a white sari with a gold-bordered yellow shawl sits at right, facing the fire and performing the ritual, with a brass lamp and flower-decorated plates nearby. Behind the fire, rows of seated devotees in white clothes and rudraksha malas face the fire, with a few in orange. A tall bearded man with long dark hair, wearing an orange shawl over white robes, stands at far right. A white-draped altar with a potted plant and a basket of flowers stands at left. Visible people number roughly 50-60.

A photograph of an outdoor ritual gathering under a tent. In the foreground, several women in white dhotis or saris with orange shawls sit on mats behind small brick fire pits, each with brass bowls, a brass plate with orange kumkum, and incense sticks. Behind them, a large crowd of seated devotees fills the open ground, with some wearing white and others in colourful garments under the tent canopy.

Outdoor temple ritual under a large orange canopy with red, green and yellow medallion patterns, supported by blue poles. A fire pit with burning flames sits on a paved platform in the centre, surrounded by brick-lined offering pots, flower-decked kalasha-style vessels and small brass bowls. A bare-chested priest in white dhoti with a red sash stands at the left, and a young man in orange robes with a red-and-orange shawl stands near the centre-right with hands folded. An older man in saffron-orange cloth and a rudraksha-style mala stands near the fire, and a man in white with a red-and-orange shawl and yellow bag stands at the right edge. A small girl in pink stands among the devotees. Behind them are multi-coloured temple structures, painted gopurams and a green deity statue with raised arms.