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Night-time outdoor fire ritual on a sandy riverbank lit by scattered oil lamps and floodlights. A fire burns in a low brick pit in the foreground, with a brass vessel and ladle beside it. Behind the fire, a red cloth-draped platform holds decorated kalasha pots with mango leaves and coconuts, flanked by floral garlands. On the left, a woman in red garments and a marigold garland sits with hands folded near the fire, while several seated devotees in saffron and red clothing sit nearby. On the right, a bare-chested priest in a red-orange turban and orange dhoti stands with palms pressed together, a gold-trimmed shawl draped over his shoulder. Several more people in white stand and watch in the background, and a white sheet-like banner hangs on the right edge. This appears to be a homa-style fire ritual with kalasha offerings.

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May 20 20142014-05-20May 20 20142014-05-20Night outdoor ritual at a sandy riverside ground beside a fire pit. In the foreground, a woman with a shaved... no: a woman with dark hair, red-and-gold sari, gold necklaces and a red tilak sits on a low seat, holding a lit oil lamp (aarti) over a brass vessel. Beside the fire, several saffron-robed sannyasis sit with folded hands and bowls, including a bald priest in orange clothes and rudraksha beads. Behind them, rows of white-clad and red-shawled devotees sit with hands raised in namaskar, and a decorated kalasha-like offering with flower garlands and green leaves stands on a red-draped platform at right. Strings of small lights glow on the sand and standing onlookers are visible in the background.2014-05-20Night outdoor fire ritual at a riverside or open ground lit by floodlights. A bare-chested man with long dark hair, a red dhoti and a layered garland of white and orange flowers sits with palms pressed together in prayer beside a trident (trishul) wrapped in flower garlands. Before him a large blazing fire burns on a brick-lined platform, with copper vessels and a bowl of red offerings nearby. Behind him, seated devotees in white and orange clothes, several with hands folded, face the fire. On the right, a bare-chested priest in a dark wrap kneels at the fire, and a decorated deity murti stands on a red-draped platform adorned with leaves and garlands. The scene reads as a homa or yagna with devotees in attendance. a person: long hair, red dhoti, rudraksha-style beaded mala and a flower garland are visible cues, shown seated in prayer at the fire.2014-05-20A night-time homa fire ritual outdoors, with a large flame rising from a brick-built fire pit in the foreground. A woman in red-orange sari with a marigold garland and gold necklace stirs or offers into the fire with a long ladle. Beside her, a shaved-headed priest in orange-red robes with rudraksha beads sits with hands joined in prayer, and further right a man in a red-orange head wrap and orange garments chants with palms pressed together. Brass bowls, a kalasha-like vessel, a trident wrapped in marigolds, and a decorated seat with deity murtis and flower garlands stand nearby. Floodlights illuminate a crowd of seated devotees behind the ritual area.2014-05-20Night-time outdoor homa at a riverside ghat. A figure with long dark hair wears a saffron-orange dhoti, a gold-and-pearl necklace and a beaded rudraksha-style mala, sitting before a blazing fire pit and feeding it with a stick. A trident (trishul) decorated with white and orange flower garlands stands at left. Behind, seated devotees in orange and white clothes sit on green mats. At right a robed priest in dark clothes and an orange head-wrap reads from an open book. On a red-draped platform stand decorated kalasha pots with mango leaves and red garlands. Bright floodlights illuminate the scene, and offering bowls and brass pots sit at the fire's edge. The figure at the fire is a probable Swamiji by appearance cues including long hair, ornate gold necklace and saffron clothing.2014-05-20Night outdoor ritual on a lawn lit by floodlights. A fire burns in a rectangular brazier at lower right, where a priest bent forward in white dhoti and red shawl tends the flame; another priest with a shaved head and red-and-white sash sits behind. In the centre a woman in a red sari and rudraksha-style mala stands with hands folded. A row of about a dozen devotees in white clothes with red shawls stands along the left with palms pressed together. Behind, a silver ornate peetha or small shrine holds a deity murti under a white umbrella, and a man in white stands at the back. Fire pit with homa-style offerings.2014-07-24Night outdoor fire ritual on a sandy riverbank lit by floodlights, with a small brick fire pit burning in the centre and brass plates of bananas and offerings beside it. A bare-chested man with long dark hair, a rudraksha-style necklace and an ornate gold-coloured garment sits cross-legged with palms pressed together in namaste, apparently the central officiant, while an orange-robed priest on the right, wearing a turban-like head covering, sits near the fire. Around them rows of seated devotees in orange and white clothes, several with palms joined, fill the green mats. Carved pillars wrapped in orange and marigold garlands frame the scene, and a trident-topped staff stands beside the officiant.2014-05-20May 20 20142014-05-20May 20 20142014-05-20Night-time outdoor ritual on a riverside ghat lit by floodlights, with a fire pit (homa) of brick and burning oil lamps at the centre. A man with long hair, wearing an orange-and-gold dhoti and a gold necklace and sitting with palms pressed together in namaskar, is seated before the fire. Beside him a seated priest in saffron-brown robes tends the flame, and a row of kneeling devotees in orange and white clothing with folded hands sits on green mats. Brass plates hold bananas, flowers and offering vessels, and orange-garlanded pillars frame the scene.2014-05-20May 20 20142014-05-20