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A night ritual at a Chandi Homa-style puja before a large white-and-silver decorated deity murti of a goddess with multiple arms and a lion mount. A bald priest in white dhoti and shawl stands at left holding a silver tray of fruit, while a bare-chested man in white kneels beside a brass plate of offerings. Three women seated on a raised platform wear red, orange and saffron saris and sit in front of smaller decorated deities, including an elephant-headed figure. Brass lamps, kalasha pots, flower garlands and leaf festoons frame the scene, and a crowd of devotees sits in the foreground.

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October 16 20102010-10-16A photograph of an evening Chandi Homa ritual at a temple stage decorated with large white and silver-embellished deity murtis, including a multi-armed goddess figure with a lion mount and an elephant-headed deity. Two priests stand at left, one in white dhoti with a bare upper body and the other in white with a red-bordered cloth over the shoulder. Several women sit cross-legged in red, orange and maroon saris before a homa area with kalasha pots, fruits, brass vessels, oil lamps and bundles of sticks. A seated crowd of devotees, including children, fills the foreground. No figure is clearly identifiable as a person.2010-10-16 +1 copiesOctober 16 20102010-10-16A photograph of a Chandi Homa-style ritual before a large multi-armed goddess murti decorated with silver-white and shimmering ornamental arches and garlands. The central goddess rides or stands on a lion and holds weapons in several raised hands. Flanking deity figures, also ornamented with white silver backdrops, stand on either side. Ornate umbrellas hang above. A priest in white dhoti and shawl, bare-chested with shaved head, stands at left holding a tray of fruit and offerings. Seated in front, women in red, orange and saffron saris and a few men in white cloth perform the puja, with brass oil lamps, kalasha vessels, flowers and plates of offerings on the platform. Along the bottom edge, a crowd of devotees sits watching the ceremony. No figure is clearly identifiable as a person.2010-10-16 +1 copiesPhotograph of a Chandi Homa-style puja before a large, elaborately decorated deity murti of a multi-armed goddess riding a lion, with a white lacework arch and mango-leaf garland overhead. Flanked by smaller white-framed murtis and a garlanded figure. Several seated women in red and orange saris and shawls sit in rows before the altar, one holding a flower. A priest in white dhoti and shawl stands at left holding a tray of fruit, and a shaven-headed priest in white kneels at the altar's edge tending the fire area with brass lamps and vessels. Many devotees, seen from behind, sit in the foreground.2010-10-16 +1 copiesIndoor ritual scene at a Chandi Homa with a shrine of deity murtis. A bare-chested priest in white dhoti leans over a white altar-platform, offering a red apple toward a woman in orange sari who kneels and holds a small plate. A woman in white sari stands at the left holding a tray of apples and fruit. Several women in orange and red saris sit around the altar with flower offerings. Behind them stand a pink Ganesha murti garlanded with purple flowers, a white-clad goddess figure with a green and yellow garland, and a large Durga murti with multiple arms holding weapons, riding a lion. Brass oil lamps burn and brass vessels, bells and a pile of dried sticks sit on the altar. A coloured canopy hangs above.2010-10-16October 16 20102010-10-16Night outdoor ritual under a corrugated roof with festoon lights and saffron pennants strung overhead. Several young women in red and maroon saris sit in a row on the left, one holding a flower, before a long orange-draped altar laid with fruit, coconuts, brass plates and small bowls. On the right a shaved-headed priest in white dhoti and shawl stands holding a lit lamp and an offering vessel, with smoke rising. Behind him a seated figure in saffron-coloured clothing sits by an ornate red-and-gold throne-like seat. At left are white floral-decorated deity murti with garlands and a painted mural. Several onlookers are visible on the right.2010-10-16 +1 copiesA Chandi Homa-style puja is performed before a large decorated deity murti of the goddess with a lion mount, flanked by smaller murtis including Ganesha on the left. A priest in white dhoti and shawl stands with a ritual implement at the front while a second priest in white kneels at a raised offering platform holding items. Several women in red and orange saris sit in rows near the altar, and an older man in orange robes with a turban sits at the right beside a shaded throne-like seat. Marigold and leaf garlands, a white canopy and banana-leaf festoons decorate the altar, and a seated audience fills the foreground.2010-10-16 +1 copiesOctober 16 20102010-10-16October 16 20102010-10-16 +1 copiesNight photograph of a Chandi Homa ritual staged before a large decorated deity shrine under a white fringed canopy. A bare-chested priest in white dhoti and sash, with a shaved head, stands at center holding a ceremonial implement toward the shrine. A seated priest in white kneels at the altar, and several women in red and orange saris sit in rows on the left and right of the platform. On the far right, an older bearded figure with white-marked forehead and orange robes sits on a raised seat under an umbrella, with a younger attendant beside him. Garlanded deity murtis with silver halo arches flank the central image, and brass lamps, fruit and offerings rest on the altar. A crowd of devotees fills the foreground. Green mango-leaf festoons hang across the top, and a banner reads SRI N, partly visible.2010-10-16 +1 copies