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A photograph of a temple ritual at night. Two tall flames rise from a fire pit in front of a decorated shrine with several deity murtis dressed in colourful garments and garlands, framed by yellow and red flower festoons. A shirtless man in a white dhoti with gold borders and a yellow turban holds a brass plate, wearing a gold chain and a beaded mala. Palm fronds and a carved golden pillar frame the scene, and a small decorated figure with green leaves and white flowers sits in the foreground. The setting suggests a homa or fire ritual.

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A temple shrine interior during a fire ritual. A large flame burns in a fire pit in the centre, with a decorated altar behind it holding deity murtis with garlands and ornate gold and red coverings. Tall green palm-leaf decorations flank the fire on either side, and the walls are carved golden pillars. In the foreground, offerings of flowers, leaves and fruit are arranged on a platter in front of the fire pit. On the right, a bare-chested priest in a white dhoti with a gold border and a light green cloth on his head stands with palms pressed together in prayer. This appears to be a homa at a shrine.A photograph of a nighttime homa at a temple-style shrine. A large fire blazes in a pit in the foreground, with a coconut wrapped in red cloth and white flower garland placed before it. Behind the fire stands a decorated deity murti with a golden crown, red and gold garments and a silver face, flanked by multicoloured floral garlands and gold-painted panels. A standing man in the right foreground, bare-chested with a yellow-and-white cloth over his shoulder and a yellow headcloth, holds his hands in anjali. A brass oil lamp and another man in white dhoti with orange border stand at the right edge, and gold carved pillars frame the left side.A photograph of a homa ritual at a temple shrine. Two priests stand at left: the one on the far left is bare-chested with a yellow turban and gold chains, holding a silver tray draped in red cloth; the second wears a white turban, white dhoti and a rudraksha-style bead necklace. In the centre a sacred fire burns in a fire pit before a decorated shrine with multiple deity murtis adorned with yellow and marigold garlands, backed by a gold and orange canopy with flower festoons. Brass lamps and offerings sit on the altar. Bright red and orange patterned cloth panels frame the scene.A photograph of a fire ritual at a temple-style altar. Two bare-chested men in white dhoti with gold borders stand at left; the nearer one holds a red cloth-covered offering plate with folded palms raised, and both wear white and gold-bead garlands and white marks on their bodies. In the centre a large fire blazes in a pit, with a metal vessel and offerings at its base. Behind it, three ornately decorated deity murtis in gold and white stand before a yellow canopy, adorned with flower garlands in green, yellow and red. A tall brass pillar and green palm leaves frame the scene.Photograph of a temple shrine during a homa ritual. A fire burns in a pit in the foreground, with a small offering arranged in flowers at its edge. Behind it stand several decorated deity murtis, with a large central figure in a red and gold setting, flanked by others draped in white and multicolored garlands, with yellow and green accents. Tall palm-leaf posts frame the shrine, and a brass lamp and vessels sit on the floor. A priest in a white dhoti and white head cloth stands at left, facing the shrine. At right, a seated person in a red head cloth and garlands of white and multicolored flowers sits near the shrine.A photograph inside a temple shrine during a homa. On the left, a bare-chested male priest in a white dhoti and white head cloth holds a string or thread up with both hands, with a gold necklace and a rudraksha-style mala around his neck. Behind him is a gold-carved pillar and green palm-leaf decorations. At the centre is a tiered altar with three elaborately decorated deity murtis draped in red, green, yellow and white garlands and sashes, flanked by banana or plantain-style decorations, brass pots filled with flowers, and yellow marigold garlands. Coloured bunting in red, yellow, purple and white hangs above. A fire pit with visible flames burns in the foreground. Only one physical person is visible.A night ritual homa at a shrine: a large fire blazes in a stone fire pit in the foreground, with white flower garlands and offerings placed near its base. Behind the fire, three ornately decorated deity murtis stand under a golden canopy, one central figure in red and green draped with a silver-and-gold garment, flanked by others draped in multicoloured garlands of white, red, yellow and green flowers. Brass oil lamps stand at the edge. On the right, a bare-chested man in a white dhoti with a gold necklace and a rudraksha-style mala carries a red, green and white decorated tray across his shoulder, blurred by motion. Floral garlands and a red-and-blue cloth backdrop frame the scene.A photograph of a homa ritual in a decorated temple hall. A large fire burns in a pit at centre-front, with a kalasha-like offering and a flower-decked deity murti in red and blue behind it. Behind the fire stand three decorated deity murtis with golden crowns on a red-draped altar, flanked by bright floral and striped drapes and green palm-leaf torans. On the left, two priests in white dhotis stand with bare upper bodies and white shawls and garlands, one holding a red-cloth-covered tray with his palms joined. On the far right, a seated figure in red headwear, white and multicoloured garlands and a gold chair is shown, with a decorative golden throne behind. Four to five people are visible, including partial figures.A photograph of a priest standing at left in a white dhoti with gold-bordered edges and a white head cloth, bare-chested with a gold necklace and a red tilak on his forehead, holding a brass plate with yellow powder. Beside him is a tall palm-frond decoration. Behind a yellow altar, a bright fire burns in front of an ornate shrine with a carved golden arch, purple and pink floral garlands, and three deity murtis with large halos and flower decorations. In the foreground a murti dressed in a purple and red sari is adorned with white garlands and green leaves. Yellow petals and scattered kumkum dots lie on the floor.Nighttime photograph of a homa ritual at a temple setting. A bright fire burns in a pit on a yellow-painted platform in the foreground. Beside the fire lies a large kalasha-like offering draped in a navy and red silk sari with white jasmine garlands and green leaf ornaments. On the right stands a shirtless man with a yellow turban, white dhoti with gold border, a gold chain necklace and rudraksha-style beads, his palms pressed together in prayer. Behind the fire, a carved wooden canopy with red, yellow and purple floral garlands frames two deity murtis decorated with flowers. A palm frond decorates the top right corner.A photograph of a temple puja inside a decorated shrine. Two bare-chested priests in white dhotis with gold-bordered edges and white head cloths stand at a fire pit; the priest on the right, wearing a gold-trimmed turban and a white beaded garland, holds a brass plate of offerings. Behind them, colourful tiered deity murtis with gold crowns and garlands of marigolds and red flowers are set on a red cloth-covered platform. Palm fronds frame the scene, and a purple cloth-wrapped object garlanded with white flowers and green leaves lies on a yellow cloth in the foreground. Painted red, yellow and white pillars, a gold throne and brass lamps surround the space.A photograph of a homa fire ritual inside a decorated shrine. A large fire burns in front of an elaborately decorated deity murti set against a golden-yellow and colourful garlanded backdrop, with a kumkum-marked idol-like form at centre. Two priests in white dhotis flank the fire: one on the left holds an offering and wears a rudraksha mala, and one on the right stands with palms joined in namaskar, wearing a white turban, white dhoti and bare chest with beaded necklaces. A figure in a red turban and red garment sits on a red-and-gold throne-like seat, draped with garlands in green, red, yellow and white. Green palm-leaf torans frame the fire, and a brass lamp and a garlanded offering sit near the flames.