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Night photograph of a homa fire ceremony in a stone-walled courtyard. A small square brick fire pit holds a bright flame, with marigold petals scattered around it. A priest in white dhoti and shawl with a gold necklace sits cross-legged before the fire, hands folded, beside a fruit-laden offering tray and a small oil lamp. Beside him a man in a light shirt and white dhoti sits with hands clasped. Behind them a seated crowd of men, women and children watches, some in saris and salwar kameez. A standing man in a dark tracksuit stands near a grilled window, and a man in orange and white sits on a ledge at right.

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October 16 20102010-10-16October 16 20102010-10-16 +1 copiesA night fire ritual is performed in a stone-pillared courtyard. A fire burns in a yellow-tiled rectangular fire pit at the centre. A priest in a white dhoti with a red border and a gold necklace sits cross-legged before it, offering into the flames. Beside him sits a younger man with a white vibhuti mark on his forehead, wearing a white shirt and yellow shawl. Behind them, seated and standing devotees and children watch, including a woman in a teal sari and a man in a black shirt. On the right, a framed portrait of a saffron-robed figure with long hair and a gold necklace, garlanded with flowers, rests on a step beside fruit, flowers and offering plates. +1 copiesOctober 16 20102010-10-16 +1 copiesJuly 19 20132013-07-19A night-time homa at a temple hall. A rectangular fire pit of white bricks holds a tall flame. A priest in white dhoti and white shirt sits on a low white seat at the right, facing the fire with hands joined, while a younger assistant in white sits beside him. Standing devotees in casual clothes watch from the left, a man in an orange shirt stands at the right, and a woman in a red sari with a child stands at the far right. Brass vessels, a coconut, flower garlands and a brass oil lamp lie in the foreground, and a deity murti sits in a glass-fronted shrine at the upper right.July 19 20132013-07-19A homa fire ritual in a hall with orange-painted walls and an orange floor cloth. A square yellow brick fire pit holds a bright flame at the centre. A priest in white dhoti and shawl with a gold-coloured yellow silk border, wearing a long beaded necklace, sits at right beside the fire, holding a ritual item and reaching toward offerings. Around the fire, a woman in an orange and green sari sits with palms together, and several men in white kurtas and rudraksha malas sit cross-legged, watching. Bowls of fruit, flowers, grains, pappadums and food are arranged on plates and steel dishes. Behind them, a figure in an orange robe and a man in orange sit near a red and gold throne-like seat. A microphone stands near the priest. Several people are visible, and a steel cooking vessel sits in the foreground.2011-11-06Photograph 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 homa fire burns in a square brick fire pit set on an orange cloth in an indoor hall. A priest in white dhoti and shawl, wearing a gold-beaded necklace and a red-orange sash, sits behind the fire with one arm extended over it and a microphone nearby. A younger priest in orange cloth sits at the upper right. Seated before the fire are a woman in an orange and green sari and several people in white clothes, including a man with a rudraksha-style mala, with hands folded. Steel pots with lids, plates of puffed bread, bowls of fruit and flower garlands surround the scene.2011-11-06Night photograph of an outdoor homa or yagna at a temple courtyard. A priest in white dhoti and shawl, with a beaded necklace, sits cross-legged behind a square fire pit built of red bricks, with dark offering sticks laid in it. Seated devotees fill the foreground and left side on the ground, many with their backs to the camera, while two women in saffron and orange saris sit on a stone ledge against the wall. Behind the priest, a framed portrait of a deity in orange garments garlanded with flowers sits at the foot of stone steps, with brass vessels and flower offerings nearby. Warm lamplight illuminates the stone courtyard and wall. +1 copiesA photograph of a Chandi Homa fire ritual at night outdoors. A square fire pit glows at the centre, set on a white marble-like platform decorated with scattered red and pink flower petals. Around it sit about seven men in white dhotis and white shawls, several wearing gold necklaces and bead malas, many with shaved heads; they hold brass plates of offerings such as chopped vegetables, grains and wood pieces, and feed the fire. Behind them, large colourful deity murtis with flower garlands, brass lamps, kalasha-style vessels, fruit, and bowls of kumkum and vibhuti are arranged on a red and gold cloth. Strings of lights decorate the background.2010-10-16 +1 copies