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A photograph inside a temple-style hall at night during a ritual. On the left, a bare-chested priest in a white dhoti with gold borders and a gold-and-bead necklace holds a small cloth or string up to the light with both hands. Beside him stands a tall palm-leaf or coconut-frond decoration. In the centre, a fire burns in front of a decorated shrine with several deity murtis draped in flower garlands and yellow, red and green fabric, with a golden arch behind them. On the right, a large deity murti in a purple and red garment with white and green garlands lies on a yellow altar platform, with a brass vessel and scattered flower petals nearby.

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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.A homa fire burns on a raised yellow-ochre platform in front of three decorated deity murtis under an ornate golden canopy with striped, garlanded drapes. The central murti wears red and gold dress with a large garland, and the side murtis are adorned with flower garlands in red, yellow and green. A priest in a white dhoti with a gold border and a white head cloth, wearing a dark beaded mala, stands at left, extending his arm over the flames. Offerings include a yellow marigold garland and a blue-and-purple cloth laid beside the fire. A white lotus kolam is drawn on the platform base, with brass lamps and vessels placed on the altar.A priest in a white dhoti with a gold border and a light blue head cloth stands at the left edge, hands folded in prayer and holding a green palm frond. Before him a fire burns in a yellow-tiled homa pit. Behind the fire, three deity murtis sit in a decorated shrine with a gold arch, marigold and rainbow garlands, and a colourful embroidered cloth hanging at the right. Oil lamps and brass pots sit near the altar. The scene is a Chandi homa during Navaratri.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 priest in a white dhoti with a gold border and a white head cloth stands at left, wearing a dark rudraksha-style mala, performing a fire ritual before a decorated shrine. Two flames rise from a yellow earthen fire pit, with smoke drifting up, and a blue cloth with a yellow marigold garland lies on the pit's edge. Behind, three deity murtis stand under floral garlands with white flowers and striped red, yellow and purple bunting, against a gold-embroidered canopy and orange drapery. A white lotus kolam is drawn on the pit's base. The scene suggests a homa or puja at a temple shrine.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 homa ritual inside a decorated temple pavilion with a golden-yellow canopy and palm-leaf pillars. A bare-chested priest in a white dhoti and white head cloth, wearing a rudraksha mala, stands at a fire pit with flames and pours offerings. A second person in white stands at the left edge holding a bowl. Behind them stand deity murtis and decorated pots with colourful striped garlands. At right, a seated figure in a red turban and a white and green garland sits on a golden throne. In the foreground, a decorated object wrapped in red and blue cloth with white and green flower garlands rests before the fire. The scene shows a homa with deity images and offerings.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 of a night homa ritual at a temporary shrine. In the foreground a fire burns on a yellow-washed raised fire pit, and a small seated figure of a deity dressed in a blue and red silk sari with gold border sits draped in white jasmine garlands and green flower garlands. Behind the fire, deity murtis are decorated with red, yellow and green garlands under an ornate gold canopy with a colourful flower-garland valance. On the right a shaved-headed priest in white dhoti and a sandalwood-marked bare chest holds a brass vessel over the fire, a palm-leaf decoration behind him. One physical person is visible.Photograph of a temple ritual inside a decorated shrine hall. Two bare-chested priests in white dhotis with gold borders and white head cloths stand on either side of a central fire pit with flames. The priest on the left, wearing a white turban, reaches up to a tall palm-leaf pillar; the priest on the right, with a garland of white flowers and gold-trimmed cloth, holds a brass plate. Behind them is an altar with a decorated deity murti flanked by colourful festoons, golden ornaments and garlands. A pile of flowers and a decorated tiered pedestal lie in front of the fire, and a deity-themed figure wrapped in a red and blue cloth with white and green flower garlands sits in the foreground. Lamps and offerings are arranged around the sanctum.A bare-chested priest in a white turban and white dhoti with a gold border stands with palms pressed together in namaskar before a lit fire pit. Behind him, a carved wooden shrine with orange and pink floral garlands frames a deity murti decorated with colourful flower arches. Tall palm fronds flank the shrine, and a yellow-orange cloth with a white flower garland sits on the platform near the flames.A photograph of a Chandi Homa ritual at night in a decorated temple pavilion. A large fire blazes in a pit in the foreground, with a garlanded kalasha or offering near its base. Behind it stands a tiered arrangement of deity murtis adorned with garlands and flower decorations, with a central goddess figure in red and gold. Two priests in white dhoti and shawls stand on either side with palm-leaf toran posts. On the right, a man with a white turban and bare chest, wearing a rudraksha mala and gold chain, presses his palms together beside an ornate gold throne draped in a garland of red, green and white flowers. Multicoloured flower garlands hang along the top of the tent.