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A man seated on a carved wooden stool with a cushioned seat presses his palms together in prayer beside a square fire pit lined with white and yellow-edged stone, into which a ladle or spoon is dipped. He wears a plain white dhoti with maroon borders, has a bare upper body, and wears layered gold necklaces and gold bangles. Behind him stands a blue-grey wooden vahana of a bull-like animal with gold-trimmed legs, draped with an orange cloth and a garland of red flowers, atop a red-draped platform. Silver bowls and a brass vessel with flowers sit nearby, and a ritual lamp is placed at the pit edge.

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September 09 20102010-09-09A seated priest in a white dhoti with a red border and a gold chain pours ghee or an offering from a ladle over a square homa fire pit in a dim hall. Behind the pit stands a large blue ceremonial vahana figure. A silver bowl and small brass vessels rest on the pit's edge, and a potted plant and steps sit in the background. The scene reads as a fire ritual or homa. One person is visible.2010-09-03A photograph of a temple courtyard with a square stone-rimmed yagna pit filled with dark ash or embers at the lower right. Behind it, a grey bull (Nandi) murti sits on a red-draped platform with an orange-and-gold cloth over its back, garlanded with marigold and white flower strings, and a silver vessel with a leafy plant stands beside it. On the left, a bald priest in white dhoti and shawl with red borders and a gold necklace sits cross-legged on the floor, with a second person in white partly visible behind him. Silver plates, bowls and a small silver kalasha sit on the floor near the fire pit, and a microphone stand is positioned at left. Red and white striped steps lead up in the background.2010-09-08September 09 20102010-09-09A photograph of a temple ritual outdoors. In the foreground a bald priest in white dhoti and shawl with red-bordered edges and a thick gold necklace sits on an orange mat, holding a silver plate with a lit flame over a dark coconut-like offering. Beside him a second priest with a shaved head and tilak sits partly behind. Silver bowls, a small silver bell and a brass tray with offerings lie on the ground near a dark stone basin. Behind them stands a grey vehicle-form murti draped in red and orange cloth and garlanded with yellow and red flowers, with a gold-rimmed tray on the red-covered dais. White-and-red striped steps and potted plants fill the background.2010-09-08October 29 20112011-10-29A photograph of a homa or puja ceremony at night. A shaven-headed priest in white dhoti and shawl with red borders sits cross-legged with palms pressed together in namaskar, wearing a gold bead necklace with a gold pendant and a bangle, a red-and-white tilak on his forehead. Beside him a second shaven-headed man in white robes with red borders and a gold bead necklace holds a small microphone. In front are silver bowls, a silver ladle, brass vessels, a carved wooden seat behind them, and a tray of wood pieces for the fire. The setting is dark, lit mainly by the camera flash.2010-09-03A photograph of a homa or yagna at a shrine. A priest in white dhoti and shawl with a gold necklace and a white tilak on his forehead kneels before a dark rectangular fire pit with his right hand extended over it, smoke rising around him. A brass oil lamp with a flame sits on the pit's edge, beside a silver bowl with offerings and a small book in his left hand. Behind, a deity murti is decorated with white jasmine garlands before a red and gold cloth, with brass kalashas and potted plants along a red and white wall.2011-10-29October 26 20112011-10-26A priest in white ceremonial dhoti and shawl with a yellow border, wearing a gold-beaded necklace and a white vibhuti forehead mark, sits beside a smoking fire pit (homa kunda) and gestures over it with one hand while holding a small paper. In front of him are silver bowls of red and green offerings, a silver bowl of rice or grain, a silver lamp, a kalasha and a red flower garland. Behind the fire pit, a deity shrine area with a wooden carved backrest and potted plants is visible. No a person candidate is clearly identifiable by appearance; he is a priest performing a homa.2011-10-29A photograph of a temple ritual at a shrine with red-and-white striped steps. A shaved-headed priest in white dhoti and shawl, with a red-bordered cloth and a gold chain, holds a silver plate of burning offerings and a lit flame toward a grey bull-shaped Nandi statue draped in an orange cloth and garlanded with red and yellow flowers. A younger attendant in white sits beside him wearing a garland. Silver bells, a small silver vessel and a bowl sit on the stone platform in front of a dark square pit. Potted plants and dark-stone deity figures appear in the background, with a red-draped altar behind the Nandi.2010-09-08A photograph of a homa or yagna at night. A shaved-headed priest in saffron-orange robes and a gold bead necklace sits on a wooden chair, pouring liquid from a metal vessel with a long spout into a square fire pit lined with white stone. Behind him stand brass kalashas wrapped in mesh and dressed with mango leaves, a tall brass lamp with a lit flame, and a standing deity murti draped in garlands. Strings of small lights glow in the dark background.2011-10-03