Skip to content
Nithyanandapedia
September 09 2013

More like this

Open the gallery
September AFP 2013September 09 20132013-09-09A photograph of a ritual fire ceremony with a large cloud of smoke rising from a stone fire pit at centre. A woman with long dark hair and a gold necklace sits on a silver-framed seat at left, wearing an orange sari with gold border. Around her, sannyasis in saffron-orange robes and rudraksha malas sit on an orange cloth, some with white paste markings on their arms; one bald monk in the foreground has a writing pad and a plate of bananas before him. Behind them, many women and men in orange and red saris and white clothing stand and sit in a covered hall, some holding rudraksha malas. Brass vessels and a small lamp sit on the stone platform.2013-06-13March 18 20132013-03-18A homa fire ritual in progress on an orange cloth. In the foreground a shaved-headed priest in orange robes with a white tilak and beaded necklaces sits cross-legged, pouring liquid from a small vessel into a bowl over the fire. A rectangular metal fire tray holds stacked wood, and brass bowls with offerings such as grains, ghee and banana leaves surround him. Behind him, a seated group of about twenty devotees in orange shawls and white clothes press their palms together in prayer, some with eyes closed. Woven mats cover the floor and a red-draped table with stacked cloth is at the upper left.2012-07-14October 02 20142014-10-02April 29 20132013-04-29Outdoor homa at a square fire pit filled with burning sticks and smoke rising. A man in orange robes with a gold-embroidered shawl and heavy beaded necklaces sits on a leopard-print cushion at the right, reading from an open book. Around the fire, many people in orange and saffron robes sit on the ground, some with rudraksha malas and forehead markings. Brass pots, bowls and a kalasha sit along the fire pit edge, with a tray of silver implements in the foreground. Women in orange saris and a man in red-orange robes tend the offerings, and a standing crowd in white clothes watches from the background. Green plants in pots line the setting.2013-06-13A homa fire ritual is performed outdoors on a stone-rimmed square fire pit with flames and smoke rising from burning offerings. Seated around it, two women in orange saffron robes sit at the front, one holding a tray of grains. Behind them, a group of young boys and a few older attendants sit on colourful striped mats; several boys wear orange or red cloths with white tilaka and rudraksha malas, and one central figure in a white dhoti and white shawl with a tall topknot-style head covering holds a bowl. A fruit offering and a tray of yellow flowers sit nearby, and a red-and-orange cloth covers a table at the right. The scene is a ritual homa with kalasha-style offerings and a microphone on a stand at the left.A night-time homa at a Nithyananda Dhyanapeetam-style ashram: a square fire pit with a large flame sits at centre, surrounded by many seated devotees in saffron and orange robes and red blouses. Behind the fire, a seated figure in saffron with a long garland of beads sits on a raised dais beside a silver trident and a decorated peetha. Several monastics in orange with rudraksha malas kneel or sit close to the fire, holding ritual items, while a standing attendant in white appears in the background. Dense rows of onlookers fill the courtyard under a dark night sky, with an orange-painted building behind.2013-03-10September 09 20132013-09-09Overhead view of a large outdoor ritual gathering of many people seated on the paved ground in orange and saffron clothing and orange shawls. In the foreground a fire burns in a wooden homa/yagna fire pit at lower left, tended by a figure in orange; nearby are offering plates with fruit, a basket of orange flowers, a brass kalasha-style vessel and a brass bell. A white cloth and a red mat lie in the central open space, with a white kolam-style floor design at left. A bald, bare-chested man in orange dhoti sits facing the fire. Many seated participants wear orange shawls and white kurtas, some in saris and salwar, with some standing at the back.2007-07-11