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Nithyanandapedia
June 13 2010

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Outdoor photo of a ritual fire ceremony on a bare dirt ground beneath coconut palms, with smoke rising from the trees on the left. Several rows of seated participants sit cross-legged around circular fire pits holding ash and embers. Most wear white ritual clothing with red or yellow shawls; a seated man at the front left in an orange-saffron robe holds his hands in anjali near the pit, and a central man in white with a red shawl sits at the front of the pit area. A wood pile and a small white building with a corrugated roof stand in the background, and stone statues are visible at the right edge. Several dozen physical people are visible.2010-08-08Outdoor photograph of a Pancha-tapas ritual in an open dirt yard beneath palm trees. Around a dozen young men sit cross-legged in circular raised pits, each with a small fire burning at the edge, smoke drifting through the scene. Those nearest the camera wear saffron-orange robes; those further back wear white robes with yellow shawls. A white stupa-like structure stands at the left and a white wall at right. No individual is identifiable as a person from appearance, and the scene shows only devotees performing the tapas practice.2010-06-13An outdoor ritual on a bare dirt ground beneath tall coconut palms. Around fifteen to twenty people sit in white clothes with yellow shawls, several wearing red scarves, arranged in a loose circle of small ash-rimmed fire pits, some smoking. At the left foreground, a figure in orange-saffron robes sits with hands pressed together in prayer, the only saffron-clad person visible, but his face and features are not clearly discernible and his appearance is not distinctive enough to confirm identity. Behind them a pile of firewood, a small white building with a green roof, and stone statues along the right edge complete the scene.2010-08-08June 13 20102010-06-13August 18 20062006-08-18August 18 20062006-08-18An outdoor ritual scene in a palm-fringed compound. Robed participants sit cross-legged in a row on mats around circular fire pits with grey ash, and a large woodpile burns in the background with smoke rising. In the foreground, a man in orange robes with a rudraksha mala sits on a cushion with hands folded, beside a brass kalasha-style vessel. Behind him, rows of men in white with yellow or red shawls sit in meditation or prayer. Whitewashed buildings, a thatched fence and white stupa-like structures complete the setting. The orange-robed foreground figure has long swept-back hair and a rudraksha mala, but his identity cannot be confirmed from appearance, so he is described by role only.2010-08-08Outdoor photograph of a monastic training homa on bare earth at an ashram. Dozens of people in white clothes and orange shawls sit cross-legged inside circular rings of burnt wood, each ring holding a small fire that sends up smoke. Palm trees and a tree line stand behind, with a red-and-white striped wall at left. The participants are in white garments with orange or saffron shawls draped over their shoulders, performing the fire ritual in rows across the open ground.2006-08-17Outdoor ashram scene of a Pancha-tapas practice: about a dozen men in white dhotis and white shirts with yellow shawls sit cross-legged inside circular rings of ash and charred embers on a dirt ground. Smoke rises from fires behind them among tall coconut palms, with a small white-walled building with a green roof and a few figures standing in the background. The men appear to be in meditation.2010-07-07Outdoors on sandy ground under palm trees, a row of about fifteen men sit cross-legged in a wide arc, each seated on a small mat inside a ring of grey ash, with smoke rising from the fire pits. Most wear white dhotis and white shirts with yellow shawls draped over their shoulders, and a few wear saffron-orange robes with red-orange shawls. Behind them stand a tall red-orange pillar, an orange shrine structure, a white raised platform, a black deity murti, and a small fountain. A kalasha-type pot sits near a lit fire pit, and a red-orange bucket is at the front. A homa or yagna appears to be in progress.2010-08-15August 09 20102010-08-09Outdoor ritual homa in an open sandy courtyard with palm trees behind. About ten shaved-headed priests in plain white dhoti and shawl sit cross-legged on mats around individual circular fire pits filled with ash and embers. Several wear ceremonial garlands; some hold small objects. Behind them stand a tall copper-toned kalasha-style pillar on an orange-red stepped plinth and a black Nandi bull statue with a garland at left. Lush tropical greenery frames the scene.2010-09-17