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A night-time homa at an outdoor ritual pavilion. A fire pit with burning flames sits on a white flower-strewn platform in the foreground. Priests in white dhotis and shawls stand and sit around it: one standing man on the left in a white dhoti with a beaded necklace holds a silver tray, and another in a white dhoti and white turban stands with palms joined. A seated priest in the foreground right tends the fire area with a brass vessel. On the right, a decorated deity murti of a goddess with a lion mount, multiple arms and a garland of flowers is set up beside brass oil lamps, fruit offerings, and a red-and-green cloth. Fairy lights and hanging ornamental banners frame the scene. Several other figures in white stand in the background.

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October 16 20102010-10-16October 16 20102010-10-16Night outdoor ritual under a pavilion hung with red and white triangular bunting and red tassels. At left, a priest in white dhoti and shawl raises a flaming lamp over a fire pit as seated men in white clothes watch from the left edge. Standing priests in white with folded hands and a bare-shouldered figure in white stand behind. To the right, an altar holds fruit, brass oil lamps, a kalasha-style vessel and a large deity murti with a yellow-orange crown and garlands, beside a clay image of an elephant-headed deity; string lights glow in the background. A chandi homa fire ritual with aarti is taking place.2010-10-16A night-time homa ritual at an open-air ashram pavilion. In the foreground, a shaved-headed priest in white dhoti sits cross-legged facing a fire pit on a white tiered platform, with flames burning inside and petals scattered around it. Several white-clad priests stand in the background with palms joined, one holding a brass vessel. To the right, a large deity murti with multiple arms and a red face, adorned with a garland and a flowing dark cloth, is framed by decorative white lace and blue panels, with brass oil lamps and fruit offerings set before it. Strings of lights and hanging festoons decorate the tent above. The priest and standing priests are wearing rudraksha-style necklaces and no identifiable a person figure is visible.2010-10-16 +1 copiesNight 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 copiesNight-time outdoor homa at a Chandi Homa. A raised white stone fire pit with a large open flame sits in the foreground, surrounded by marigold petals, with a brass lamp and a round bronze plate nearby. Three men in white ritual dhotis stand behind the fire: the one on the left holds a flaming torch and wears a white head covering with bead necklaces, another stands in a white dhoti with a bare upper body, and a third in a white shawl stands beside them. A woman in white sits with hands folded at the lower left. Behind them, additional people in white stand and sit. To the right stands a large deity murti of a goddess with a lion mount, adorned with garlands, a crown and a decorated backdrop; brass oil lamps and trays of fruit and offerings are arranged on purple and gold cloths. Strings of lights, saffron pennants and banana leaf decorations hang overhead.2010-10-16 +1 copiesA night-time outdoor puja at a Durga-themed pavilion. On the right, large decorated murti figures of goddesses stand with lion and elephant forms, adorned with white lace-like ornaments and garlands. In the foreground, a white-clad priest with a shaved head and gold beaded necklace sits near a white altar with flower petals and a dark stone slab. Brass oil lamps, fruit, bowls of offerings, and red and green cloth surround the altar. Standing devotees in white dhotis, some holding trays, are scattered across the background, and a string of lights glows behind the shrine. The scene suggests a Chandi homa-style ritual, shown as a photograph.2010-10-16 +1 copiesNight photo of a Chandi Homa at an outdoor pavilion. A priest in a white turban and orange-gold beaded necklace holds a flaming torch beside a tiered white stone fire altar where a large fire burns. Other priests in white dhotis and shawls stand with hands folded in prayer, and seated devotees in white fill the left foreground. On the right, a richly decorated deity murti with a lion mount, garlands and a silver crown is surrounded by brass oil lamps, kalasha-like offerings, fruit and sweets on brass plates. Strings of flags and lights hang overhead.2010-10-16 +1 copiesOctober 16 20102010-10-16October 16 20102010-10-16 +1 copiesNight 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.2010-10-16A night-time photograph of a Chandi Homa ritual under a open-sided canopy strung with garlands, paper triangles and lights. A fire pit with a lit flame sits on a white-draped platform; in the foreground a bald priest in white dhoti sits and tends the fire. Standing behind him, a man in a white dhoti with a red-edged cloth and a rudraksha-style necklace holds a silver tray, while another standing figure in a white dhoti and yellow turban stands with palms joined. A large decorated deity murti with a lion mount, a female goddess form with raised arms and a silver-and-white arched backdrop is on the right, with brass oil lamps and offerings arranged around the platform. Several seated children in white are at the left edge.2010-10-16 +1 copies