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A photograph of a Chandi Homa ritual inside a temple hall. A shaved-headed priest in white dhoti and shawl stands at left, bending over a low white platform. Two women in orange and red saris sit cross-legged before the fire pit, one holding a pink flower and a small bowl. Behind them stand a pink Ganesha murti with a garland and a goddess murti with a lion mount, plus a brass oil lamp with a flame. Fruit, brass vessels, a bell and scattered flowers and leaves lie on the cloth-covered floor. A man in white at right tends the homa. Near the lower right a tall dry-leaf offering sits beside the fire area.

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October 16 20102010-10-16Indoor 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 20102010-10-16A 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 copiesA photograph of a ritual inside a temple hall before a group of goddess murti images decorated with white floral cutouts, garlands and a lion or tiger mount. In the foreground a bare-chested priest in white dhoti with a red border and gold necklace sits with his back to the camera, near a lit brass oil lamp and flower-strewn steps. Two women seated on a mat in orange and red saris, one with a pink lotus in her hands, are in meditative stillness, while another seated figure in red and orange clothing sits at right. Marigold and rose garlands hang on the deity images, and a decorated umbrella is visible at upper right. The scene appears to be a puja or homa in progress.2010-10-16Photograph 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 copiesA photograph of a ritual scene at night, lit by string lights and an oil lamp. Several women in silk saris sit on the floor in front of a carved wooden seat with a lotus-like medallion. A woman in an orange-gold sari bends forward toward the seat, and a woman in a maroon sari holds offerings. At left, two men in white dhotis with maroon borders stand, one holding a silver tray. Brass oil lamps, bowls of fruit, limes, flowers and a black stone platform sit in the foreground. Behind them stand pink and white clay murti of Ganesha and a goddess adorned with garlands. No visible person is identified as a person.2010-10-16 +1 copiesOctober 16 20102010-10-16 +1 copiesOctober 16 20102010-10-16 +2 copiesA night-time homa ritual before a decorated shrine of deity murtis, including a large Ganesha figure with pink skin and red garland and a goddess murti with a lion beside her, all garlanded in white and yellow flowers, with strings of fairy lights behind. Six young women sit in a row on purple and red cloth, wearing red and orange sarees with flower garlands and holding pink and yellow flowers, several with rudraksha-style mala necklaces. In the foreground a shaven-headed priest with bare back faces the fire pit, a sacred fire smoking before him, with brass oil lamps and offerings nearby. Other white-clad priests stand at the right with ceremonial gold necklaces. Flower petals scatter the ground.2010-10-16 +1 copiesA photograph of a Devi puja at a temple shrine with large painted and sculpted goddess images behind, including a lion-mounted multi-armed Durga figure and a white-clad goddess murti garlanded in yellow flowers. Seated on the floor in the foreground, a bare-chested priest in a white dhoti with a yellow border and gold chains gestures toward brass oil lamps and a stand of offerings. Three young girls in red and maroon saris with jewelry sit beside him, one holding an orange. At right, an older man with white-marked bare torso and a saffron-orange garment performs a gesture near a red-cushioned seat, and a standing figure in orange robes is partly visible at the edge. Scattered flower petals, plates of ash-like material and a silver tray lie on the mat. Four to five visible people, seated devotees and priests in ritual dress.2010-10-16A photograph of a Chandi Homa ritual at night before a tall altar of deity murti, including a large goddess figure seated on a lion and a figure of Ganesha with a garland. Five young women in red, orange and saffron saris sit cross-legged on a raised platform holding pink and orange flowers. In the foreground a bald priest with bare upper body raises one arm toward a fire pit and brass oil lamps, while flower petals and offerings lie on the platform. Strings of lights and a canopy decorate the background, and two white-clad men stand on the right near the altar.2010-10-16 +2 copies