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Night ritual photograph, the image rotated sideways. A man in white dhoti and white upper cloth with a gold-beaded necklace holds two lit oil lamps aloft in both hands, flames rising, while his other hand is open toward a carved wooden seat with a wheel-like motif. Beside him, a second man in white with a gold chain and a green-wrapped object stands at a decorated altar draped in white and bordered with flowers, with brass vessels and a bell. Several more people in white clothes stand in the background, and a line of small red lamps glows on a stepped platform at right. Overall it reads as a lamp-waving aarti at an evening puja.

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Night outdoor ritual photograph at an ashram. A bald man in white dhoti with a maroon border and a gold chain necklace holds a brass aarti lamp with a large flame aloft in his right hand, while a small bell is held in his left. Behind him a red-brick wall is strung with multicoloured lights, and a decorated pole with painted red and blue motifs stands at left. Seated men in white with gold necklaces sit at the lower left with hands folded, and several other white-clad devotees stand with palms pressed together in the background. A carved wooden plate or stool lies in the foreground at right.2010-10-16October 16 20102010-10-16October 16 20102010-10-16Night photograph of a homa fire ritual in an outdoor courtyard lit with multicoloured string lights. A shaved-headed priest in white dhoti with a maroon border and a gold bead necklace stands at a square fire pit, holding a lit oil lamp flame in both hands. A seated priest in similar white clothes and gold necklace sits on a purple cloth beside brass lamps, fruit and flower offerings. Other seated priests in white, one holding a silver tray with a green cloth, and a man in white with a camera photograph the scene. Flower petals are scattered around the pit edge and a carved wooden chair stands behind it.2010-10-16Night ritual at a fire altar. A priest in a white dhoti and white shawl, with a white turban and beaded necklaces, holds a lit flame aloft toward a fire burning in a stone-lined pit decorated with red and yellow flowers. Behind him, two more priests in white stand near a large round bronze vessel and a kalasha-style pot. Several men in white clothing stand in the background, and a brass lamp and bell rest on the altar. Ring-shaped structures and palm-leaf decorations frame the scene. This appears to be a homa fire ceremony.2010-10-16October 16 20102010-10-16October 16 20102010-10-16Night ritual photograph in a open-sided pavilion hung with festoons and a row of green leaves. A shaved-headed man in white dhoti and shawl with red-and-gold borders and a beaded gold-coloured necklace stands center, bare-chested, holding a brass camphor aarti lamp with a bright flame in his right hand and a small handbell in his left, offering the flame toward the side. Around him, seated devotees in white clothes with folded hands watch; a shaved-headed devotee with a tilak mark is in the foreground. Striped banners and a hanging cloth decoration are visible above. No clearly identifiable a person features; the central figure is presented as a priest performing aarti.2010-10-16 +1 copiesOctober 15 20102010-10-15A rotated night photograph of a fire ritual. Several priests in white dhoti and shawl clothing stand in a row, several wearing gold necklaces and bead malas. The foreground priest holds a bright flaming vessel in both hands, and a large brass lamp or pot with flames rises from a brick fire pit at left. Behind them, a row of devotees in white and yellow clothing stands in the dim background beneath hanging green leaves and marigold garlands. A large round brass plate or drum sits in the lower left foreground, and a wrapped cloth banner hangs near the right side. This appears to be an evening homa or fire puja with offerings being made in a fire pit.2010-10-16October 15 20102010-10-15Night photograph of a homa fire ritual in an outdoor courtyard. A shaved-headed priest in white dhoti and shawl with red border and a gold bead necklace holds a lit lamp over a square black fire pit edged with white and scattered flowers. Another priest in white with gold beads sits cross-legged beside a brass bell and offerings. A man in white with a yellow shawl photographs the scene with a camera, and bright red and yellow lights decorate a building behind. Brass lamps, a carved wooden seat and fruit trays surround the ritual area, with devotees seated in front.2010-10-16