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Night-time puja under an open-sided pavilion decorated with hanging colourful fabric tassels and banana-leaf garlands. A standing priest in white dhoti and white shawl, bare-chested with a sacred thread, tends the lamps at a deity altar. Around him, several men in white ritual dhotis sit on mats behind a low wooden box and trays of fruit, nuts, red flower heaps and brass lamps. A white-draped altar shelters multi-armed goddess murtis with red garlands, a lion mount and decorated silver arches, with a second figure in red and gold visible. Strings of coloured fairy lights glow in the background. Approximately seven or eight people are visible in this photograph.

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October 16 20102010-10-16A night-time outdoor puja under a temporary pavilion decorated with orange and multicolored pennants, hanging tassels and strings of lights. A standing priest in white dhoti and shawl, with rudraksha-style beads, holds a lit lamp before a decorated deity murti area with tall white floral arches, a lion mount and goddess figures garlanded in marigolds. Several seated men in white dhotis and bare shoulders sit on mats around a brick homa/yagna pit with brass vessels, lamps, flower offerings and plates of food. A red cushioned seat and orange cloth sit at the right. No clearly visible face of a person candidate is identifiable from the described cues, so the figure is described only by role.2010-10-16 +2 copiesNight-time homa performed outdoors under a decorated canopy with a deity murti on the right, adorned with white floral garlands and a red-and-gold ornamented background, plus a lion figure beside it. A standing priest in white dhoti and shawl with beaded garland holds a lit flame over a square fire pit, while seated priests in white clothing and gold-bordered cloth, several with bare heads and beaded necklaces, sit around brass plates heaped with red chillies, flowers and offerings. Strings of coloured lights and tall decorative pillars with orange and red banners frame the scene. Roughly a dozen people are visible, including boys seated at the left edge.2010-10-16 +1 copiesOctober 16 20102010-10-16 +2 copiesNight ritual homa at an outdoor pavilion with a square fire pit at the centre, flames and smoke rising. A standing priest in white dhoti and shawl holds a lit flame or ritual lamp aloft. Around the pit, several shaven-headed men in white dhotis sit on mats with brass plates of offerings, flowers and fruit. Behind them stands an elaborate deity tableau with large murtis, including a lion-mounted goddess with multiple arms, and white ornate decorations. Strings of fairy lights, orange and multicolour festoons and a fringed canopy frame the scene. Red and orange cloth lies on the ground near brass lamps.2010-10-16 +1 copiesOctober 16 20102010-10-16 +1 copiesNight-time outdoor puja at a shrine decorated with a Durga-style deity murti, its golden crown and garlanded figure with multiple arms and a lion beside it. A standing priest in white dhoti and shawl holds a lit flame aloft toward the deities. Around the raised platform, several seated men in white dhotis and shawls, some with beaded neckwear, sit with brass plates of fruit, flowers and offerings. Oil lamps burn on brass stands, and string lights and paper bunting hang in the background. A bearded seated man in white and a shaved-headed priest in white are visible among the group. Silver-decorated arches frame the murti. The scene reads as an aarti during a Chandi Homa-style worship.2010-10-16 +1 copiesNight ceremony at an outdoor homa pit, with a fire glowing in a rectangular sunken fire pit lined with flower petals. A priest in white dhoti and shawl raises a lit lamp or torch high on the left. Around the pit, several seated ritual participants in white cloth and some in yellow dhotis hold offering plates of flowers, grains and red items. Behind them stands a decorated shrine with a large white-and-silver figure of a goddess, a lion mount, a deity murti with a garland, and bright string lights and a canopy. Brass oil lamps and banana-leaf decorations frame the scene.2010-10-16 +1 copiesA night-time ritual scene in a temporary pandal decorated with strings of lights and hanging cloth. A man with a shaved head and bare chest, wearing a white dhoti, stands holding a lit oil lamp aarti. Around a low square fire pit or altar, several shaved-headed men in white dhotis sit on a mat, some wearing yellow cloth and necklaces, with brass pots, plates of offerings and flower petals placed nearby. Behind them stands a decorated deity murti with a silver halo and a tall ornate backdrop, with additional murtis and garlands to the right. Red sofa-like seating is at the lower right. This appears to be a puja or homa in progress.2010-10-16 +1 copiesNight-time puja in an open-air pandal before a decorated deity murti of a goddess with multiple arms, seated on a lion, draped with garlands and flanked by white floral-decorated figures. Several priests in white dhotis and shawls sit cross-legged on white cloth, one tapping a wooden drum-like stand, while offerings of fruit, bananas, plates of rice, a brass oil lamp and incense sticks are arranged on the floor. Behind them an orange-robed figure stands, and a seated person in a blue garment sits on an ornate red-and-gold throne. Strings of lights and bunting decorate the scene, and a woman in a yellow sari with a long braid sits in the foreground. Several people are present, including the seated figure on the throne; the physical count is limited to those visible.2010-10-15A night-time ritual at an outdoor shrine decorated with fairy lights and colourful pennants. A standing priest in white dhoti and shawl holds a lit flame or aarti lamp toward a large deity murti adorned with white flower garlands, a lion mount and a crowned goddess figure with multiple arms. Seated devotees in white dhotis, some with rudraksha malas, surround a square fire pit with smoke rising, and brass plates of offerings, fruit and red flowers are arranged on the ground. A red and orange sofa-like seat with orange cloth stands at the right edge. a person is not visibly identifiable among the people present, so no candidate is named.2010-10-16 +1 copiesNight ritual homa at a temple pavilion. A bare-chested priest in white dhoti stands at left holding a flaming ladle over a square fire pit of blazing wood. Around the fire, about a dozen seated men in white dhotis and cloths, some wearing gold-bead necklaces, sit on mats with brass plates of offerings, fruits and flowers. To the right, large ornate deity murtis in white and silver decorations, including a figure with a crown and weapons, stand beside brass lamps and strings of fairy lights. Hanging banners and painted pillars frame the scene.2010-10-16 +1 copies