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October 15 2013

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A photograph of a homa fire ceremony at night in a hall filled with smoke. A white rectangular fire pit with yellow borders and a central emblem sits in the foreground, with burning logs and coconuts nearby. Around it sit about eight young men with shaved heads and white forehead markings. Several wear saffron-orange cloths and rudraksha malas, while two in the centre wear white dhoti-style garments, one with a white head wrap. They sit cross-legged on an orange cloth, hands joined or holding ritual items. Brass oil lamps with lit flames and a garland stand at the right edge. Several onlookers in white are seated behind. No a person candidate is clearly visible, so no identity is asserted.2013-10-15Night-time homa at a sacred fire pit lined with yellow-painted edges and a blue-and-yellow decorative tile. A young priest in white dhoti and white turban, with rudraksha mala and white forehead markings, tends a flaming fire of wood and offerings. Behind and beside him, several men in saffron-orange robes with rudraksha malas and white markings sit around the fire, one holding a brass bowl. A bare-chested young man in white cloth with a rudraksha mala sits at the right, hands folded, and a fourth figure in white sits in the background. Smoke rises, and yellow flowers and dry grass lie around the fire pit.2013-10-15Night-time homa at an open-air ashram site. A rectangular white and yellow stepped fire pit with a lit fire of logs and smoke rises from it. Five young people sit around it with palms pressed in anjali, faces lowered in prayer. Most wear saffron-orange robes with rudraksha malas, and their shaved heads and white and ochre forehead and body markings are visible. One young person on the right wears white dhoti-style clothing, a white headwrap and a rudraksha mala. A brass bowl sits on the fire pit edge beside a sprig of leaves, and a few seated onlookers and a cameraman with a tripod stand in the background, with a yellow flower and marigold petals near the fire pit.2013-10-15A night-time homa or yagna at a square fire pit lined with yellow-painted sides and strewn with yellow marigold garlands and rose petals. Seven people sit on mats in orange and saffron robes with white forehead marks and rudraksha malas. A central figure in white clothing and a white head cloth holds offerings over the fire. Brass plates, a bowl and a small lamp sit nearby, and a red and white patterned mat lies at the front. Behind the fire pit a dais is draped in red and blue cloth and decorated with flowers. Visible people are seated in a row with hands folded in prayer.2013-11-20Night-time homa at an open ashram courtyard. A fire burns in a yellow-and-white tiered fire pit decorated with painted motifs, with dry grass laid around its base. Several shaved-headed young men in saffron-orange robes with rudraksha malas and white forehead markings sit cross-legged around the fire, some making offerings. At right, a figure in white dhoti with a white head cloth and white shawl sits beside the fire, along with another in white. A man in orange robes sits in the background. A yellow flower garland and a tray of fruit sit at the right edge. Smoke rises into the dark roof area.2013-10-15November 20 20132013-11-20Night-time outdoor ritual on a raised stone platform: a young man in white dhoti and shawl with a gold border sits cross-legged at the centre, white vibhuti stripes on his arms and forehead, rudraksha mala and a thin wrist cord. Around him sit several young men in saffron-orange robes, rudraksha malas and white forehead markings, some chanting or reading from open books and a blue folder set on a stand with a microphone. Yellow marigold garlands, a brass bowl of sweets, a lit oil lamp, a brass kalasha-style vessel and a brass lamp rest on the platform, with a yellow flower garland in the foreground. A seated man in white stands behind at left, and a table with offerings sits in the background.2013-12-17September 30 20132013-09-30Night photograph of a fire ritual at a square stone fire pit with a sunken centre and a bright flame. A central priest in white dhoti and white shawl, with white forehead markings, rudraksha malas and gold ornaments, sits behind the fire. Around him, about seven young men and boys in saffron-orange robes with white forehead and body markings sit on mats and cloth; some hold objects and one folds his hands. Yellow marigold garlands line the pit, and brass pots, plates of bananas, coconuts and fruit sit to the right, with a golden ratha-like cart visible at the top. The scene is a homa ritual with offerings.2013-12-19A night homa in an outdoor temple courtyard. A square fire pit lined in yellow sits centre frame with a small flame burning inside it. Around it sit several priests in white dhotis with gold-bordered shawls and rudraksha malas, with microphones on stands before them. Behind them, a seated priest in an orange-saffron shawl and orange cloth tied over the head pours offerings near brass pots and bowls. Two seated people in the foreground, one with a dark braid and rudraksha beads, face the fire. To the right, a deity murti is decorated with yellow and purple garlands, red and green drapery, and a golden arch. A teal cloth covers a table in the lower right corner. Several other people in white sit at the back left. a person candidate: a seated figure in orange with a red-orange cloth over the head, cues not distinctive enough to confirm identity.2014-09-06Photo 11735603April 29 20132013-04-29