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Night homa at an outdoor fire pit lined with a white-and-red platform. Tall orange flames rise from the square fire altar in the centre. A priest in a bare-chested pose with gold necklaces kneels at the lower left, close to the fire. Two standing men in white dhotis and white shawls with garlands hold offering trays, one with a yellow-and-white turban and the other bald, and seem to be carrying oblations to the fire. Behind the altar, several white-clad participants stand with palms pressed together, and seated figures in white are at the left edge. Brass lamps, fruit, flower garlands and red petals sit on the altar tables. Strings of red lights and leafy garlands decorate the background.

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October 16 20102010-10-16Night photograph of a Chandi Homa fire ritual in an open outdoor area. A tiered white stone fire pit blazes at center. A woman in white garments with a yellow-orange head wrap leans over the flames, while a standing priest in white dhoti and shawl with a gold-toned necklace holds a brass tray of offerings. A seated officiant in white kneels at the lower left and another in white stands at right. Behind the pit, a row of seated devotees in white clothes watches. Strings of green leaves hang overhead, and brass oil lamps, flower garlands and offering plates sit at the right edge. A wooden yagna vessel stands near the fire. No candidate for a person is distinctly identifiable.2010-10-16 +1 copiesNight photograph of a homa fire ritual in an open outdoor courtyard. A large stone fire pit with rising flames sits at the centre, with offerings of flowers and red petals around its base. Three priests in white dhotis stand behind it; the central priest wears a white shawl and a rudraksha mala and holds a vessel over the fire, while a priest on the right, in a white garment with a mala, leans in to assist. A priest with a white turban stands on the left. A wooden carved disc stands beside the pit. A seated priest in the foreground, shown from behind, holds his hands in namaskar. A row of seated devotees watches from the left, and a standing devotee with folded hands appears at the right edge. Brass lamps, plates of offerings and a decorated seat sit on a cloth to the right, under strings of leaf garlands and a painted pillar.2010-10-16 +1 copiesOctober 16 20102010-10-16 +1 copiesA night homa ritual at an open-air ashram ground beside a square brick-and-stone fire pit with large flames rising from it. A woman in a white sari with a white head wrap and beaded necklaces leans over the fire, while a man in white dhoti and shawl with gold-coloured necklaces holds a brass vessel and pours offerings into the blaze. Another man in white clothes with a necklace stands at right. Behind them, a row of seated devotees in white and saffron fills the background, a round carved wooden or stone object stands near the fire, and a brass oil lamp and flower garland sit on the platform at right, with a string of leaf festoons overhead.2010-10-16 +1 copiesA night homa fire rises from a stepped stone fire pit in an open courtyard strung with leafy banana-leaf garlands. Two priests stand at the fire: the nearer one wears a white dhoti and a saffron-yellow turban, carries a brass plate of offerings, and wears a beaded rudraksha-style mala; the other, bald and bare-chested, wears a white dhoti and mala and holds offerings over the flames. A seated priest in white with a mala is in the lower left foreground. Round brass kalasha pots, brass lamps, flower petals and a large carved wooden drum-shaped disc sit around the fire. Seated devotees in white and orange clothing watch from the left, and more people stand in the background.2010-10-16 +1 copiesNight photo of a homa fire ritual outdoors under a leafy canopy. A priest with a shaved head and white dhoti stands center, pouring offerings from a silver tray into a large flame in a fire pit. Another priest in white cloth and gold beaded necklace stands behind, and a bald man in white clothing sits in front of the fire. A man on the left in white with a yellow shawl holds a tray of red flowers. Seated devotees fill the left background, and brass vessels and oil lamps sit on a cloth at right beside a large wooden kalasha-like vessel.2010-10-16 +1 copiesA night-time homa fire ritual in an open courtyard. A large square brick fire pit with stepped stone edges blazes at centre, flames rising high. A priest in white dhoti and a white head wrap, with a gold necklace, stands at the pit feeding it with a long ladle. Beside him a man in white dhoti with a beaded mala holds a brass plate of offerings. Another attendant in white stands further back, and seated devotees in white fill the left background. In the foreground lower left, a bald person in white sits facing the fire. Scattered flower petals line the stone platform, with brass oil lamps and a garlanded brass vessel at lower right. A round carved wooden shield-like panel stands behind the pit, and yellow-green leaf garlands hang overhead.2010-10-16 +1 copiesNight homa ritual at an open-air fire pit, a stepped stone altar with a large blaze rising from its square well. Three priests in white dhotis and shawls stand around it: the front priest in a saffron-orange turban with a gold necklace holds a kalasha-like vessel; the middle priest with a shaved head holds a lit oil lamp and a silver plate; the third, on the right, in white with a red border, pours offerings. Marigold and rose petals are scattered on the altar steps. Seated devotees in white clothes watch from the left, and brass lamps and plates sit at the right edge. Painted pillars and leafy garlands hang in the background, and a carved wooden disc lies beside the fire pit.2010-10-16 +1 copiesOctober 16 20102010-10-16 +1 copiesNight photograph of a homa at an outdoor fire pit in an ashram courtyard. A square stone fire pit with a bright yellow-orange blaze sits on a tiered white base strewn with marigold and red flower petals. Three men in white dhotis and white shawls stand around it: a woman in a white sari with a yellow-orange head wrap and gold jewellery leans over the pit pouring from a vessel; a bald man in white with a gold necklace and red-and-white cloth holds a brass tray of red flowers; a third man with gold necklaces tends the flame. A large carved wooden drum-shaped vessel stands beside the pit. Seated devotees and children watch from the left, and a woman in white stands at right. A kalasha-style brass lamp and a red-and-white flower garland lie at the edge, with a leafy garland hung overhead.2010-10-16 +1 copiesNight ritual at a homa fire pit: a fierce flame rises from a white stone fire altar. Two priests stand behind it; a woman in white sari with an orange-and-white head wrap holds a brass plate of offerings, and a shaved-headed man in white dhoti and shawl with beaded necklaces stands beside her. Seated devotees in white line the background, a decorated orange banner hangs overhead with leafy strings, and brass oil lamps and flower offerings sit at the right foreground. Some devotees watch from the left. No clear a person candidate is visible.2010-10-16 +2 copies