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Night 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.

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A 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.2010-10-16Night outdoor homa at an ashram. A central fire pit with a blazing flame sits in front, with marigold petals scattered on its stone edges. A woman in white drapery with a tan head wrap and gold arm bands and necklaces pours from a silver vessel while holding a yellow-tinted ceremonial item over the fire. Behind her a man in white dhoti with gold malas stands holding a silver pot. Another man kneels at the far side tending a lamp, and a figure in white with folded hands stands at right. Men in white robes and a few seated boys watch at left. A carved wooden drum-like object and a hanging orange lantern and leaf festoons frame the scene.2010-10-16A night fire ritual at a square stone homa pit blazing high with flames, scattered with marigold petals. In the foreground a priest in white dhoti and shawl, with a rudraksha mala, lifts a flaming vessel overhead. Behind him a second white-clad priest with a mala stands with hands folded, and a third at right holds a brass tray. Seated devotees in white clothes watch from the left in the dark, and a carved wooden disc and a small oil lamp appear at the edges, with strings of pennant leaves overhead.2010-10-16 +1 copiesA night homa at a square fire pit, with tall flames rising from the stone-edged pit. Three priests in white dhoti-style clothing stand at the fire. The left priest wears an orange-saffron turban and a gold bead necklace and holds a small flame-lit vessel. The middle priest, also with gold beads, stands beside him, and a third priest on the right in white carries a brass tray. Flower petals are scattered on the stone steps, a large carved wooden disc stands to the right, and a seated audience in white sits at the left edge. A strip of leaf garlands and hanging decorations is visible above.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-time homa at a square stone fire pit with flames rising high, its steps scattered with red and yellow flower petals. Two priests in white dhotis and shawls stand at the fire; the foremost, wearing an orange-yellow turban and a beaded garland, holds up a lit torch. A second priest in white with a garland stands beside him, and a third at the right holds a brass offering tray. Seated devotees in white clothing watch from the left, and a carved wooden disc stands behind the fire. Strings of leaves and hanging decorations frame the dark background.2010-10-16Night photo of a homa fire ritual at an outdoor ashram courtyard. A large flame rises from a fire pit in the foreground. A man in a white dhoti and turban holds a flaming lamp aloft on the left. Beside him, a bald priest in white with a rudraksha mala stands with palms pressed together. On the right, a bald man in white and a yellow shawl holds a brass vessel and bows. Seated devotees in white fill the left side, and a woman in white stands with hands folded at the far right. Strings of yellow leaves and bunting hang overhead, with a decorated kalasha pillar and a wooden shield-shaped drum behind the fire. Brass plates of offerings sit at the base of the fire. The text overlay reads 2020 Sri Nithyananda Paramashivam and2010-10-16 +1 copiesA night homa at a square stone fire pit, its tall flames rising in the centre. Two priests stand behind the pit in white dhotis and shawls; the one on the left wears an orange-yellow turban and holds a lit torch, while the one beside him, shaved-headed and in white with a red-bordered cloth, stands with hands together. Both wear beaded necklaces. A third man on the right in white holds a brass plate. Seated devotees in white sit on the left behind a white cloth, and a large carved wooden disc stands beside the pit. Marigold petals are scattered on the stone steps, and green leaf garlands and a hanging orange-and-red decoration hang overhead.2010-10-16October 16 20102010-10-16 +1 copiesOctober 16 20102010-10-16Night homa at a stone fire pit with a tall bright flame rising from the square brick-lined hearth, scattered flower petals on its stone tiers. Three priests in white dhotis and shawls stand behind it: the left one wears a light orange turban and a beaded garland, holding a lit oil lamp; the middle one holds a brass vessel with a rudraksha-style mala; the right one, bare-chested, holds a brass plate. A small lit lamp sits at the right edge of the pit. Seated devotees in white are visible at the far left, and a large carved red drum-like object stands to the right. Dark background with cloth bunting.2010-10-16A night homa in progress at a square stone fire pit with a tall column of flame rising from it, scattered flower petals on the stone edges. Two priests in white dhotis and shawls stand behind the fire: the one on the left wears an orange-and-white turban and rudraksha-style beads, holding an oil lamp with a small flame; the one beside him is bare-chested with a white upper cloth and holds a ritual vessel. A third attendant on the right in white holds a brass tray of lamps. Seated devotees in white line the left background in the dark, and a large carved wooden drum-like disc stands at right. A lit oil lamp sits on the lower right corner of the platform.2010-10-16