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Night-time homa at an outdoor ashram setting strung with red fairy lights and bunting. A standing priest in white dhoti and shawl with a shaved head and a gold-bead necklace holds a flaming pot-lamp (kundam) toward a fire pit lined with bricks, while seated priests in white with gold bead necklaces attend nearby. Brass vessels, a bowl of ladles, banana and fruit offerings, and a pink clay Ganesha murti under a decorated canopy sit beside a purple cloth. A photographer in white stands behind the priest, and two more men are visible at the edges. Partially visible devotees sit in the foreground.

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October 16 20102010-10-16October 16 20102010-10-16 +1 copiesNight ritual homa at an outdoor ashram courtyard lit by strings of fairy lights. A square brick fire pit with flower-strewn stone edges holds a fire at its centre. Several shaven-headed priests in white dhotis and white shawls, wearing gold beaded necklaces, sit or stand around it; one bends to pour an offering while another seated priest raises an arm. Brass oil lamps with flames, fruit and flower offerings, and red and white garlands sit on a red cloth. Behind them stands a pink Ganesha murti with a golden crown and an additional deity figure in green and gold. A cameraman in white stands at the back.2010-10-16 +1 copiesOctober 16 20102010-10-16 +1 copiesOctober 15 20102010-10-15October 16 20102010-10-16 +1 copiesOctober 15 20102010-10-15Night outdoor ritual under a canopy of green leaf festoons and hanging colourful tassel banners. A bald priest in white dhoti and shawl with a red border raises a lit camphor-style aarti flame in a brass lamp holder, with a bell in his other hand, standing before a large circular golden ring. Seated devotees in white clothes with folded palms surround a low table holding brass vessels, flowers, fruit and a green and gold cloth. A bald man in white with a gold chain and rudraksha-like beads sits in anjali posture on a purple mat at right, and a brass oil lamp stands in the foreground. Several other seated participants fill the background.2010-10-15October 16 20102010-10-16 +2 copiesNight-time ritual outdoors under a canopy hung with leaf garlands, circular golden rings and decorated cloth banners. A bald priest in white dhoti and shawl with a red border and a gold-bead necklace stands at centre holding a lit lamp and a small brass vessel. Around him, seated priests in white clothes perform the puja, one with hands joined in prayer on the right. Brass oil lamps with flames burn in the foreground, along with a brass kalasha and a deity murti draped in a green silk cloth and marigold garlands.2010-10-15Night photograph of a homa fire ritual in an open courtyard. A standing priest in white dhoti and shawl, wearing a beaded necklace and gold bracelet, holds a lit oil lamp over a square fire pit burning with bright flames. Several seated priests in white clothes and beaded necklaces surround the pit; some have shaved heads and some hold their palms together. Bundles of tall dried sticks rise beside the fire, with brass plates, bowls and offerings of fruit, flowers and marigold garlands nearby. Strings of coloured lights hang behind, with a decorated pillar and a red-and-white painted wall at the back.2010-10-16Night outdoor homa at an ashram. A standing priest in an orange-saffron upper cloth and white dhoti holds a flaming ladle over a square fire pit, flames rising in front of him. Around the pit, five seated priests in white dhotis and white upper cloths, some wearing rudraksha malas and gold-toned necklaces, sit on mats and watch or chant. Tall dry palm fronds stand beside the pit, and garlands of orange and white flowers lie around the base. To the right, a large Ganesha murti with a red and gold garment and a brass lamp stand decorated with marigold garlands. Behind them, a wall is covered in strings of multicolour lights, with smoke drifting upward and a bright floodlight above.2010-10-16 +1 copies