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A night homa fire ceremony in a temple-style courtyard. A large flame rises from a marble-edged fire pit decorated with flower petals and a copper-coloured bowl. A man in a white dhoti and cream turban, with gold-coloured beads around his neck, holds a brass tray of red offerings over the fire. A second man in white with gold beads stands at left holding another tray of red offerings. A figure in white kneels at the pit's edge, and three more people in white stand with palms pressed together in the background. Brass oil lamps and a silver-framed deity murti with garlands sit at right beside fruit and a purple cloth, under strings of lights and banana-leaf decorations.

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October 16 20102010-10-16A photograph of a fire ritual at night. A large rectangular homa fire pit blazes in the centre, bordered by rangoli-style flower petals. A person in a white dhoti-style garment and a cream turban stands at the left, holding a brass plate of red flowers or petals over the fire. Other men in white ritual clothes with gold and rudraksha-style necklaces kneel or stand with hands folded in prayer, and one kneels at the left holding a plate of red offerings. A table at right holds fruit, brass lamps, bowls and a decorated deity murti draped in flowers, and a lit oil lamp stands nearby. Strings of lights and banana leaf decorations hang in the background.2010-10-16 +1 copiesOctober 16 20102010-10-16 +2 copiesA night-time homa at an outdoor ashram setting. A large fire burns in a rectangular brick fire pit in the centre, with a bronze homa vessel and flower petals scattered on its raised platform. A priest in white dhoti and shawl with gold beads stands in the foreground, while to the left a young man in white with a yellow-gold turban, gold necklaces and bangles holds a brass tray of red offerings. Other white-clad priests with gold neck beads stand behind, some with palms pressed together. On the right are a purple-draped table with fruit, brass lamps, and a deity murti adorned with white flower garlands and a green silk cloth. Strings of lights and leaf garlands decorate the background.2010-10-16 +1 copiesOctober 16 20102010-10-16 +1 copiesOctober 16 20102010-10-16 +1 copiesOctober 16 20102010-10-16 +1 copiesOctober 16 20102010-10-16 +2 copiesOctober 16 20102010-10-16 +2 copiesNight 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 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 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 copies