December 16 2010 - Nithyanandapedia

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December 16 2010

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A photograph of an outdoor ritual on a green mat with red earth. A shaved-headed man in an orange saffron dhoti with gold ornaments and a gold chain sits cross-legged with palms pressed together in prayer, a tilak on his forehead. Before him is a red brick platform decorated with yellow flowers, a kalasha with flower garlands, brass bowls and a rangoli design of coloured powder on the ground. Behind him people in white dhotis and shawls sit on white chairs, and a younger man in white with a gold necklace and tilak sits beside a microphone and wooden book stand. Others in orange and white are visible in the background.

December 16 2010

December 16 2010

A shaved-headed man in an orange-saffron dhoti and shawl with gold border sits cross-legged on green mat outdoors, wearing a long gold-beaded necklace with a rudraksha-style pendant and gold armlets. He holds a small silver vessel and spoon above a brick altar with marigold flowers, a silver plate with orange and yellow offerings, a small bowl of white powder, and kolam rangoli designs on the ground. Behind him seated devotees in white and orange dress, some wearing red shawls, sit on white plastic chairs. The scene suggests a puja or abhishekam ritual. Sacred ash tilak marks adorn his forehead and arms.

A shaved-headed man sits cross-legged on a green mat, hands pressed together in namaste, eyes closed. He wears an orange-saffron dhoti and shawl with gold borders, a long gold and bead mala with a pendant, gold bangles, and white sacred markings on his forehead and arms. a person by appearance cues: saffron ornate clothing, ceremonial gold necklace and rudraksha-style mala. Before him on the ground are stacked red bricks marked with yellow turmeric and kumkum, a silver tray with rice, a small brass vessel, a bowl of yellow offering and a small kalasha, with a kolam drawing beside them. Behind him, seated devotees in white dhotis with gold borders and an orange-clad person sit on white plastic chairs. A yagna-style brick altar and ritual offerings indicate a homa or puja setting.

A homa ritual in progress at a brick fire pit lined with yellow-ochre bricks, with a small flame and smoke rising from the ash. A shaved-headed priest in a white dhoti with a gold-bordered cloth and gold necklaces sits with palms pressed together in prayer before a microphone stand, a book open beside him. Beside him, a second priest in orange-saffron cloth and a rudraksha-style bead mala sits with hands clasped. Offerings sit on brass plates, including a plate of flowers, a bowl of kumkum, a brass oil lamp with a flame, and a bundle of wooden sticks. Behind them, a deity murti is draped with red and white garlands.

A shaved-headed man in an orange saffron dhoti and shawl with gold trim sits cross-legged on a green mat, holding a silver lamp with a bright open flame in his right hand and a silver handbell in his left. A long beaded necklace hangs on his chest and he has white sacred ash markings on his forehead and arms. Before him on the ground are brick-like blocks garlanded with yellow flowers, fruit, a silver plate of offerings and a kolam pattern. Seated behind him in white clothes, devotees sit on white chairs with hands folded in prayer, indicating a puja ritual. a person cues: saffron clothing with gold trim, beaded ceremonial necklace and a central ritual role, with the man performing the aarti.

Outdoor photo at a temple site. In the foreground a young man in an orange saffron robe sits cross-legged on a low wooden platform with palms pressed together in namaskar, eyes closed, a small red mark on his forehead. A brass kalasha-style pot sits on the ground at left. Behind him to the right, a bald man in white dhoti and an orange shawl sits holding a black cane, and a younger man in white with a yellow shawl sits behind, with another man in yellow and white seated at right in prayer. A white stone plinth at left is decorated with red and yellow flower garlands and scattered petals. Gravel covers the ground.

A photograph of a homa fire pit, a square white-tiled pit with a dark opening, at an outdoor ritual. A shaved-headed young priest in white dhoti and shawl with gold borders, wearing a gold pendant on a beaded necklace and bangles, sits with palms pressed together in prayer. Beside him, another priest in white with gold-bordered cloth and glasses sits near a microphone stand. A woman in a white sari with coloured borders stands with hands folded at the back. Brass plates hold turmeric, fruit, flowers and a silver vessel; a brass bowl and a silver container sit at the pit edge.

Outdoor ritual homa at a temple-style open pavilion with banana trees behind. A central figure in orange robes with a rudraksha mala and a tilak on the forehead sits cross-legged in front of a square fire pit, hands folded in anjali. Three young men in white kurtas with yellow shawls sit beside and behind him, two with hands folded and one with eyes closed. The fire pit is decorated with marigolds, rose petals and flower garlands, and brass kalasha and oil lamps sit nearby on the platform. A microphone stands at left and a brass lamp stand at right. A small white building with a red door is in the background.

2009-09-25 +2 copies

Outdoor fire ritual (homa or yagna) on a red cloth in a field. A brick fire pit with a flame sits in the foreground, with brass pots, a ladle, coconut-like offerings and small brass lamps on white cloth around it. A man in white dhoti and shawl with a yellow-and-gold border and a white flower garland sits with palms pressed together in prayer, a yellow turban on his head. Two young men in saffron-orange robes and rudraksha malas sit beside the fire, one tending it and the other with hands resting near the offerings. Behind them, men in white shirts and white dhotis stand holding long wooden poles with orange tassels, and rows of seated people in white fill the background beneath a pink-and-white canopy and a bamboo scaffold.

A photograph of a homa/yagna at night: a bald man in orange robes and rudraksha mala sits cross-legged behind a square brick fire pit ringed with yellow flowers, his face pressed into his hands. A brass vessel with a ladle lies on the bricks, and an oil lamp sits at the left edge. Behind him, seated devotees in white and orange shawls watch, including a woman in white with a red-bordered shawl, a woman in white holding a child, an elderly woman in a patterned orange shawl, and a man in orange seated on a white chair. A green mat covers the ground and a white chair stands at right.