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Night photograph of a Chandi Homa setting under a open-sided shelter with a tin roof. Three men in white dhotis, bare-chested, stand and kneel beside a square white-edged fire pit (homa kund) scattered with marigold and rose petals and brass vessels. The man at right kneels bent over the pit with hands near its edge, while a standing priest in white with a white head wrap holds his hands together in namaskar. Behind them stand large clay deity murtis in bright robes and crowns, including a goddess with multiple arms and a lion, with brass lamps and a ceremonial parasol above. Strings of fairy lights and a green leaf garland hang in the background.

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October 16 20102010-10-16October 16 20102010-10-16Night ritual at a homa fire pit beside a large decorated deity murti. Three priests in white dhotis and shawls stand and kneel around a square white-tiled fire pit with red flower petals and brass vessels. The central figure, a goddess with multiple arms holding weapons, is adorned with garlands and a silver and white halo-style backdrop, flanked by a lion mount and other smaller murtis. Brass oil lamps and kalasha-style vessels sit on purple and red cloths, under fairy lights and a decorated ceiling with hanging banners. A shaven-headed priest kneels at the front in the foreground. Two figures stand at left with hands folded in prayer. No one in the scene is identifiable as a person by the visible cues.2010-10-16 +1 copiesOctober 16 20102010-10-16 +1 copiesNight-time ritual photograph of a homa at a shrine decorated for a goddess. Three priests in white dhotis and shawls, with rudraksha-style beaded necklaces, perform the fire ritual over a white stone fire pit where a flame burns. The standing priest pours from a brass vessel, a kneeling priest tends the fire with a ladle, and another kneeling priest at left holds a brass pot. Behind them, several women in red and orange saris sit in a row. The backdrop holds a large white-framed deity murti with a multi-armed goddess figure and a lion mount, flanked by other painted and ornamented images, a fringed canopy, string lights and red and orange decorations. Marigold petals are scattered around the fire pit.2010-10-16 +1 copiesOctober 15 20102010-10-15A night-time homa or yagna at a temple shrine decorated with red string lights and a large ornate deity murti of a goddess in the background. In the foreground, a shaved-headed priest in white dhoti and sacred thread kneels on the left with hands folded in prayer, while a standing priest in white robes and a shawl holds a lamp or ritual implement beside a square black homa pit lined with white marble and scattered flower petals. Brass bowls, a kalasha-like vessel, fruit and oil lamps sit on the platform. Several young boys in white and seated devotees with folded hands are visible, and a canopy with fringed edging hangs above the shrine.2010-10-16Night photograph of a Chandi Homa ritual under an open pavilion decorated with hanging tassels and bunting. In the foreground a bare-backed man in white dhoti with a beaded necklace kneels facing a fire pit with flames and a row of offerings. Standing priests in white cloth hold a lamp and kalasha-like vessels in front of an altar. Beside the fire, a large murti of a goddess with many arms, a red-and-white garment and a lion mount is decorated with garlands, with a smaller figure of a lion and an elephant-headed deity nearby. Brass oil lamps, fruit offerings and a red cloth-covered table fill the foreground, and strings of lights glow in the background. A few seated devotees in white are visible at the left edge.2010-10-16Night ritual inside a temple pavilion lit by oil lamps and strings of small lights. At left, a large deity murti with multiple arms, garlanded and seated on a lion, stands beside a white altar with a dark square basin and brass vessels. A bare-chested priest in white dhoti with a sacred thread kneels at the altar, pouring from a small vessel. Behind him, a man in white with a white turban holds a silver plate. An older sannyasi with white beard, white forehead markings, and reddish-brown cloth stands at right beside an empty cream armchair. A man in orange robes stands centre-right. Marigold petals cover the floor and bundles of sticks lie on a white cloth. Several other seated figures in white are in the background. Pandals and red and cream banners hang overhead.2010-10-16 +1 copiesOctober 16 20102010-10-16October 15 20102010-10-15 +1 copiesNight photograph of a homa or yagna ritual before a large decorated deity murti with a golden crown and multiple arms, flanked by smaller figures. A priest in white dhoti and shawl, with a rudraksha-style bead necklace, holds a lit lamp or flame aloft at left. Seated devotees in white clothes at right and centre have their hands folded. In front is a white marble-edged square fire pit with a dark central opening, scattered flower petals, brass vessels, a kalasha, fruit and offerings. Strings of red fairy lights and a fringed canopy frame the scene, with smoke rising in the air.2010-10-16