July 18 2013 - Nithyanandapedia

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July 18 2013

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A ritual puja in progress in a hall with a white floor and red curtains. A young priest with bare chest, white dhoti with coloured border and an orange-yellow cloth at his waist leans over a wooden platform, placing offerings into a bowl. Beside him an older man in a pink cloth and white vibhuti marks on his forehead assists. Two seated priests in white dhotis with rudraksha malas chant into microphones. Before them are trays of flowers, bananas, coconuts, silver lamps and kalasha pots wrapped in pink cloth with garlands, plus bowls of kumkum and turmeric. A silver lamp stand stands at left, and a golden deity murti is visible at upper right.

July 18 2013

A Hindu fire ritual, a homa or yagna, is performed in front of an ornately decorated deity murti draped with jewelled garments and yellow-orange flower garlands. At the centre, a bare-chested priest in a yellow cloth and gold-beaded necklaces sits behind a brick-lined fire pit (homa kunda) with a small flame and offerings. Beside him, another man in yellow and a rudraksha-style mala holds a microphone and seems to chant. A seated priest in a white dhoti with a green-and-red border faces the altar, holding an offering tray with fruits and flowers. Brass lamps, a kalasha pot, bananas, a plate of fruit, and a striped mat surround the altar, with a camera on a tripod at the right edge. Four to five physical people are visible in the scene.

July 18 2013

Night outdoor ritual photograph. In the foreground, a bald priest in orange robes and gold-bead malas reaches toward a silver bowl on a row of stacked bricks scattered with white flower petals, a lit oil lamp and lemon halves. Beside him, a priest in orange and a man in white with folded hands sit cross-legged. Behind them, women in white and yellow saris stand or sit, with strings of lights, a green and gold cloth draped over a table, and a brass pot at left. A large round wooden disc stands behind the seated priests.

November 10 2011

September 27 2017

2017-09-27 +1 copies

A fire ritual. A brick fire pit with flames rises at right, decorated with flower petals and marigolds. Four men sit cross-legged around it: three wear saffron/orange cloths with gold necklaces and bare shoulders, and the man at left has a shaved head with tilak and white dhoti with gold border. A young boy in white dhoti and white shawl with gold necklace sits behind, wearing glasses. Brass bowls of grains, yellow powder, and offerings sit on the cloth, and a vessel of ghee and ladles lie nearby. Behind them, a crowd of seated devotees watches, including a man in red shirt photographing with a camera on a tripod.

A seated priest in white dhoti and shawl with gold-yellow border performs a homa at a square fire pit lined with yellow-painted bricks, pouring liquid from a small vessel into the flames. He wears a gold necklace with a pendant, a shaved head with white tilak marks, and sits before a microphone stand. Behind him, two attendants in saffron-orange robes with rudraksha-style beaded necklaces sit; one stands at the back. Brass plates hold fruit, flowers, sticks and a kumkum bowl, and a silver kalasha with a coconut and mango leaves stands at right. A saffron-draped figure sits on a golden chair at upper left.

2011-11-29 +1 copies

A ritual ceremony before a deity murti draped in ornate jewelled cloth and yellow-orange garlands. Two bare-chested priests sit cross-legged on a mat in front of a brick-and-stone fire pit (homa/yagna) decorated with pink-and-white powder designs. The priest at left in a golden-yellow shawl holds a microphone and an oil lamp burns nearby. The priest at centre wears white dhoti, a green-bordered shawl and a long rudraksha-style mala, with white sacred ash on his forehead, and holds a brass plate of offerings with flowers and grain stalks. A third man in a saffron shawl and a fourth in white sit behind them. Bananas, fruit, brass vessels and yellow marigold garlands surround the altar.

A photograph of a Hindu ritual performed on a stage before a floral-decorated throne with gold lion-shaped armrests. In the foreground, an elderly man with white hair, glasses, white forehead markings and a rudraksha mala holds a small metal cup and pours liquid over a seated younger man, who sits in front of a tray of offerings. The offerings include a brass bowl, a pile of fresh flowers and garlands, pink and purple cloth-wrapped packets, a kalasha-like pot, and stacked red-and-yellow blocks. Behind them, a man in orange robes, a golden necklace, rudraksha beads and a saffron head cloth sits on the throne with garlands draped over it. Several bare-chested men in white dhotis with sandalwood markings sit nearby, and a man in a red-and-gold turban stands at the right edge. Microphones, a speaker and a silver lamp stand complete the scene. This appears to be an abhishekam or puja, but the exact rite is uncertain.