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A homa fire ritual at night under a tent with red and white draped cloth. A fire burns in a brick-built fire pit, surrounded by white bricks, marigold petals, and rows of small brass bowls holding fruit, flowers and yellow offerings. Two men sit on white cloth. The man in the centre wears white clothes with a yellow shawl and holds a ritual item over the flames, while a second man in a white shirt with a yellow shawl and rudraksha mala sits to the left. Brass plates of vibhuti and kumkum, a small brass vessel, and fruit trays are arranged on the floor, and tiered trays of coconuts wrapped in green leaves stand at the right.

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Night photograph of a homa ritual in a tent decorated with red and gold draped fabric. A young man in white clothes and a white shawl sits cross-legged, pouring offerings near a tiered pyramid of brass kalasha pots decorated with mango leaves, while a flame burns in a brass vessel on a white-tiled platform. Beside him a second young man in white with a yellow scarf sits quietly. Brass plates of fruit, flowers and offerings surround them on a white cloth. Behind is a shrine with garlanded deity images, a framed portrait and a small lamp. A portrait of a saffron-robed figure is labelled Kurumurthi.2010-07-24A night-time outdoor homa at a street-side pavilion draped with red and gold swagged fabric. Two men in white dhotis and yellow shawls sit on a white cloth; one tends a fire burning in a stepped white-brick fire pit, with a tiered pyramid of small brass kalasha pots decorated with mango leaves rising behind it. Brass plates of offerings, fruits, flowers and bowls of coloured powder line the foreground. Behind them a yellow vehicle carries a lit display showing a seated saffron-robed figure and garlanded deity images, with a poster of printed Tamil text beside it. A small lamp and a folded orange mat sit to the right beside a white chair.2010-07-24A photograph of a homa fire ceremony on a stone-paved courtyard. Two men in white dhoti and kurta with yellow shawls sit on mats. The man on the right, seated before a fire pit built of stacked yellow-brown bricks decorated with white painted patterns and flowers, feeds the flames with a hand. The man on the left, seated behind brass plates of rice and offerings, handles items on a cloth. Brass pots, bowls, a kalasha with mango leaves and a small lamp sit on a silver tray at right, with a red-brown wooden seat behind them.2010-06-06Evening homa at an outdoor pavilion with a red, cream and gold draped tent backdrop. In the centre, a man in white robes with a yellow shawl sits cross-legged before a square fire pit of white bricks, his hands extended over the flames while he performs the offering. Beside him sits another white-clad figure with a shawled attendant on the left. Behind them a tiered pyramid of coconuts wrapped in gold mesh and green leaves stands on a white base, and brass vessels, a plate of yellow flowers, bowls of offerings and a kalasha-like pot sit on the floor. Behind the pavilion, a banner labelled kurumurthi and a deity image garlanded with orange and red flowers rests on a shelf, with an orange-robed figure in a portrait above. No a person candidate is clearly identifiable by appearance here.2010-07-24Outdoor homa ceremony in progress at a fire pit built from white bricks and decorated with yellow and red flowers. A man in white clothes with a yellow shawl and a small microphone clipped to his collar pours liquid from a metal vessel into the fire, holding a handbell in his other hand. Beside him another man in white with a yellow shawl and a rudraksha mala watches. Behind them, rows of seated devotees in white clothes, some with brass plates, sit on a sandy ground in front of a red draped tent decorated with banana leaves. A bunch of bananas and orange cloth lie at the left edge. No identity of any person is established from appearance.2010-07-24Outdoor homa at dusk: a priest in white dhoti and white shirt with a yellow shawl sits before a white brick fire pit with a bright flame, pouring offerings from a ladle while a second priest in white with a yellow shawl and mala sits beside him. Marigold petals and flowers are scattered on the bricks, with small brass oil lamps and bowls of offerings arranged at the left. Behind them, a row of women in white and colourful saris sit on the ground, some with orange-and-white badges, and a white canopy stands at right.2010-07-24A photograph of an outdoor homa at a ground-level brick fire pit built of white bricks and decorated with yellow and red flowers. A man in white clothes with a yellow shawl pours or stirs from a brass bowl with a ladle, seated at the pit. Beside him another man in white with a yellow shawl and rudraksha mala sits with hands folded. Behind them a woman in white and a woman in blue-and-white sit on the sand, with a red wall and bamboo fence in the background. Silver bowls holding yellow marigold flowers and small offerings lie in front.2010-07-24Outdoor homa ceremony at a brick fire pit ringed with yellow and orange marigolds and red flowers, with a small flame burning in the centre. Two men in white dhotis and yellow shawls sit at the fire, one in the foreground placing offerings into the fire with his right hand, the other beside him holding a rudraksha mala. Behind them a seated woman in white and other devotees sit on the ground beneath a red draped canopy decorated with banana plants. Bananas and fruit plates rest on the left, and a brass vessel sits by the fire. No candidate for a person is clearly identifiable by appearance, so the seated figures are described by role only.2010-07-24Outdoor homa ceremony under a red and white tent on bare ground. Several men in white kurta-style clothes sit cross-legged on woven mats, many wearing yellow or saffron shawls. Small square fire pits made of white brick hold a small flame, with brass vessels and flower petals around them. Metal trays of fruit, flowers, and offerings lie on the ground, and an elaborately decorated stage with a kalasha display stands at right. Around a dozen seated onlookers in the background watch from behind the mats. No figure is clearly identifiable as a person from appearance.2010-07-24Outdoors on bare sandy ground, three men in white dhotis and white kurtas sit cross-legged before a brick fire pit where a flame burns with flower petals scattered on the bricks. The central man wears a yellow shawl and a small microphone clip, and holds a ladle or spoon over the fire. The man on the left, also in a yellow shawl with a rudraksha mala, tends a white cloth laid with brass plates of flowers, fruit, a pineapple, bowls of offerings and a red-wrapped bundle. A third man in white with a mala sits further right near a white cloth with a small plate. Behind them, seated devotees in white and blue sit on the sand, a standing figure in white walks by, and a tent stands at right with a white plastic chair and a camera tripod. This is a homa fire ceremony with offerings.2010-07-24A homa fire ritual inside a temple shrine. A white-brick fire pit blazes in the centre, flanked by two tall brass oil lamp stands. A seated priest in white robes with a maroon border tends the fire with a long stick, and a man in a white shirt and yellow cloth sits in the foreground at left. Brass plates hold bananas, oranges, pineapple, cooked rice and other offerings, and incense sticks stand nearby. Behind the fire, adorned deity murtis wearing garlands are set in golden arches. The priest is not identifiable as a person from the visible cues.Outdoor fire ritual at a homa pit built of white bricks and decorated with yellow and orange marigold petals. Two young men in white dhotis and white shirts sit cross-legged at the fire. The man on the right, wearing a yellow shawl and a small lapel microphone, holds a ladle over the flames. The man beside him wears a yellow shawl and a rudraksha mala. A brass bowl sits at the left edge of the pit. Behind them, a crowd of devotees in white and blue sits and watches, including women in white and a woman in a blue sari. No one in the image is clearly identifiable as a person; the visible participants appear to be ritual assistants or devotees.2010-07-24