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Nithyanandapedia
October 25 2006

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Photograph of a homa fire ritual in a courtyard at night with a crowd of devotees seated on mats. A man in white dhoti and shirt with a rudraksha-style mala sits at the right, hands folded before a fire pit of stacked red-brick kundas with flames rising at the centre, with a microphone stand nearby. Opposite him a man in grey trousers and white shirt sits at the fire, and a kalasha-type brass vessel and bowls with flower petals and marigolds lie on the mat. Behind them, men and women in white and coloured saris sit with palms pressed together, including a toddler in the middle, and a worn plastered wall forms the backdrop. Several people are seated in the foreground at left, all with hands folded in prayer. a person's appearance is not clearly visible.A photograph of a seated ritual gathering indoors in a room with green walls, wooden cabinets and a framed picture on the left. Centre, a man in white dhoti and shirt sits on a striped mat before a brass aarti lamp with a lit flame, plates of bananas, coconut, flowers and small bowls, while a woman in a red-and-orange sari sits beside him. Near the mat, several people in saffron-orange robes and shawls sit with hands folded, one standing woman in orange kneels at the left with palms joined. Behind and around them, many seated and standing devotees in white, orange, pink and blue saree and dhoti press their palms together, with a yellow cake on a small table at left. The scene suggests a puja or aarti ceremony in progress.2008-10-15Night photo of a homa fire ceremony in an outdoor or open-sided space. A large bright fire burns in the centre on a stacked pile of white blocks, with a brass kalasha and oil lamp to the side. Two men in white clothes with saffron/orange shawls sit behind the fire facing it, while many seated men in white and women in saris sit in a circle around it. The women wear blue, yellow, purple, pink and maroon saris, many with flowers in their hair, and some have their hands folded in prayer. A woven mat covers the ground and a small white box sits on the right. a person not clearly identifiable from appearance.2006-10-25A seated ritual in a open-sided pavilion with wooden pillars and banana-leaf decorations. In the foreground, men in white dhotis and shirts sit on a striped green and red mat beside a brick fire pit where a flame burns over stacked bricks, with marigold offerings, a brass oil lamp and a brass vessel nearby. Behind them, a large seated gathering of women in saris of red, green, orange and blue and older men in white watches the ceremony. A digging or foundation-laying rite is being performed on the brick structure. No one in the frame is clearly identifiable as the central figure.2006-10-25November 06 20112011-11-06October 25 20062006-10-25April 05 20122012-04-05October 25 20062006-10-25A photograph of an indoor puja in a small room with pale pink walls. A man in white clothes holds a lit camphor flame toward a seated figure wearing an orange robe and a white-and-green flower garland, hands pressed together in prayer with eyes closed. A woman in a white sari with a gold border kneels beside him and holds a small brass vessel. Fruit trays, banana leaves, and brass bowls are arranged on a striped mat in front. Around the room, about twenty devotees stand and sit with hands folded in namaskar. The flame and offerings suggest an aarti and padapuja. The seated orange-clad figure may be a person, shown by long swept-back hair, an orange robe, and a garland, but the face is not clearly visible enough to confirm.2009-08-08A homa fire ritual in a open-sided hall with brick pillars and a thatched or leafy ceiling. A fire burns in a rectangular stone fire pit with ash, and a red kalasha-like pot decorated with flowers sits in the flames. A priest in white dhoti with red-and-gold border and a red beaded necklace stands at right holding a brass ladle and a bowl of offering. Beside him, a bare-chested man in a dark shirt and white dhoti holds a brass dish. Behind them, a group of people in saffron and orange robes and rudraksha malas stand with hands folded in prayer, and a few in white stand at left. Flower garlands and a tray of offerings lie at lower left.2012-09-24A seated woman in orange and maroon robes, wearing a red and white flower garland and bangles, holds a silver trident aloft beside a small flame in a brass lamp on a patterned mat. A plate of white flowers sits in front. Around her, a crowd of devotees sits and stands with palms pressed together in a whitewashed room with framed pictures, many women in saffron, pink and green saris and men in white shirts. A young girl in white watches the flame, and a monk in saffron stands behind with a pair of traditional cymbal-like instruments. The scene shows a pada puja at a devotee's house.2014-06-26Evening outdoor fire ritual under a canopy of green banana leaves and hanging bunches of green bananas. Two priests in white dhotis with orange shawls sit before a blazing fire pit ringed with stacked white blocks, one with a red-marked forehead. Seated around the fire are many devotees, mostly women in colourful saris (red, yellow, purple, maroon, blue) and men in white. Another man in a blue shirt and white dhoti stands at the back. A white banner or board hangs on a stand at left. The visible fire and offerings suggest a homa, though no a person candidate is clearly identifiable by appearance.2006-10-25