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Outdoor ritual homa at dusk in an ashram courtyard with palm trees and simple tin-roofed buildings behind. A smoking fire pit stands in the centre. Several shaved-headed priests in white dhotis with red-bordered shawls sit around it, hands joined in prayer, with white vibhuti marks and gold necklaces. Behind them a large seated crowd in white clothes watches and folds their hands. On the right, silver kalasha vessels, a silver lamp stand, garlands and a red cloth covered seat frame the scene. A seated figure in saffron-coloured cloth sits on a raised platform, but the appearance is not clear enough to identify him.

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A photograph of a homa ritual with smoke rising around a stone fire pit. Three shaved-headed priests in white dhotis with maroon borders and gold necklaces sit with palms pressed together in prayer, the central one wearing a white tilak on his forehead. Behind them, seated devotees in white clothes watch, and a plate of offerings with fruit sits on a pedestal at the top right. The setting is an open-sided hall with a round decorative drum-shaped object at right.2010-09-05A photograph of an outdoor ritual at an ashram with a large crowd behind a low white fire pit lined with dark stone. Three priests in white dhotis with red-bordered cloth sit in front of it. The priest on the right, bald and bare-chested with a white shawl, extends his arm and holds a long ladle-like implement over the pit, with a microphone stand before him. The central priest, also shaved-headed with white vibhuti on his forehead and gold chains, presses his palms together. The left priest wears glasses, a white upper cloth and gold necklaces. Brass and silver bowls, a small brass vessel, a gold tray and a bell rest on the ledge, with flower garlands nearby. Behind them, dozens of standing and seated devotees in white and pastel shirts watch with folded hands, and statues stand among the trees.2010-09-11October 16 20102010-10-16 +1 copiesA photograph of a homa fire ceremony outdoors, with smoke rising from a rectangular fire pit at the centre. Several priests in white dhotis and shawls, some with rudraksha malas and gold necklaces, sit on the ground around the pit, some holding offerings in brass plates. Marigold petals and red flowers are scattered on the white platform edge, and a brass oil lamp burns at right beside a kalasha. In the background, two more white-clad figures stand near a red-walled building and a stack of firewood. The scene reads as a fire ritual in an ashram courtyard.2010-10-16 +1 copiesOutdoor homa ceremony in a temple courtyard under a row of hanging green leaf garlands, with palm trees and stone deity sculptures behind. A square fire pit with smoke rising sits on a white marble platform, scattered with marigold petals. Several shaved-headed priests in white dhoti and shawls, with ochre and white body markings and gold necklaces, sit around the fire and place offerings. A framed portrait of a woman in orange sits on a red and gold throne at left, and a seated figure in orange robes sits at the far right near a Shiva lingam. Devotees in white sit on mats in the background, and a kalasha and brass pots lie near the platform.2010-10-16 +1 copiesOctober 15 20102010-10-15 +1 copiesOctober 16 20102010-10-16 +1 copiesA standing priest in white dhoti and shawl with red-bordered edges, bare-chested with a yellow waistcloth, performs aarti with a lit camphor flame in a metal dish, holding a bell-shaped vessel. Seated devotees in white clothes with red borders sit on a purple and orange mat under a open-sided shelter with orange triangular pennants and hanging striped cloth banners. Other seated men with palms joined in prayer, one holding a silver tray of flowers and offerings wrapped in yellow and green cloth. A brass oil lamp, silver plates of marigold petals, a small metal pot and a sacred fire pit are in front, with palm trees and stone sculptures behind.2010-10-16 +1 copiesOutdoor ritual at dusk under palm trees and strung leaf garlands. A standing priest with a shaved head, bare-chested and wearing a white dhoti and white shawl with maroon borders, rings a handbell while holding a lit lamp. Behind him a fire burns in an open pit. Seated men in white dhotis and saffron-coloured ceremonial garlands chant and sit on orange cloth. A framed portrait of a deity stands on an ornate gold-trimmed red throne, with a green cloth and a garland of red flowers in front of it. Brass oil lamps, metal plates of offerings and fruit, and tall decorative banners complete the scene.2010-10-16 +1 copiesDecember 16 20102010-12-16October 16 20102010-10-16 +1 copiesNight outdoor fire ritual lit by a bright floodlight. A man in orange robes and gold-bead necklace raises a burning camphor flame over a brick fire pit (homa/aarti setting) with a brass vessel. Seated around it are priests in white and orange cloth, a woman in an orange sari with a long braid, and a woman in white and gold-bordered sari with hands folded. Marigold garlands and yellow flowers lie on the orange mat, a decorated shrine with red flowers stands at left, and a crowd watches behind a barrier strung with lights.2011-11-10