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Night outdoor fire ritual with a large square homa pit of stacked brick-like altar, lit by a bright flame, decorated with red flower petals and white rangoli-style borders. A priest in white dhoti with a green headcloth and green shawl stands tending the fire with a long ladle, while a shirtless man in white dhoti beside him holds his hands in anjali. A seated man on the left, bare-chested with a white dhoti and gold necklace, holds a small bell. Behind them, a large ornate chariot or ratha with garlands, carved lions and a golden canopy stands on a tiered base. Many seated devotees in white and red shawls watch from the left. Brass pots, fruit offerings and a plate of flowers sit near the fire.

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July 04 20162016-07-04July 04 20162016-07-04 +1 copiesJuly 04 20162016-07-04July 04 20162016-07-04 +1 copiesJuly 04 20162016-07-04Outdoor night ritual: a fire pit (homa) burns at the centre, its base decorated with flowers and fruit, surrounded by brass vessels and offerings. A bare-chested man in a green-trimmed cloth and green headband stands on a raised stone slab, lifting a ceremonial vessel. Beside him a man in white dhoti with hands folded watches. Behind them an ornate decorated palanquin/ratha with garlands and a deity murti on top. Around a hundred devotees sit in white and red clothing on mats under lights, many with hands folded in prayer.2016-07-04July 04 20162016-07-04July 04 20162016-07-04A photograph of a sacred fire ritual inside a richly decorated Hindu temple hall with pink and silver shrine alcoves holding deity murtis. A large blazing homa fire rises from a stacked brick fire pit topped with a tiered ornate golden altar, decorated with red flowers. On the left, a bare-chested priest in white dhoti with a saffron-coloured shawl and rudraksha mala sits with hands folded, beside a standing man in white dhoti with a saffron sash and a yellow-brown headwrap seated near him. On the right, a young man in white dhoti and purple-striped sash bends forward tending the fire. Seated devotees in white and orange clothes watch in the background, and green mats cover the floor.2016-07-02A photograph of a Vedic homa fire ritual inside a temple hall. A tall flame rises from a tiered wooden fire altar stacked with wooden logs and flower-decorated offerings, set on a green cloth. Several priests sit or stand around it: one bare-chested man in a white dhoti with a marigold garland, another in a white dhoti with a red-and-white cloth over his shoulder holding an offering bowl, and a third in a headband and garland seated at the fire with a brass vessel. Seated devotees in white watch from the back, and a row of musicians with microphones sits at the right. Behind are gilded shrines with deity murtis under pink and violet lighting, and brass oil lamps and kalashas stand on the floor.2016-07-02A ceremonial homa at night in an open outdoor pavilion. A visible fire burns in a tiered brick fire pit, surrounded by yellow-orange offerings and a small mound of grain. Behind it stands an ornate, colourful decorated altar with a kalasha-like pot topped with flowers and garlands. Several men in white dhotis and shawls, some shirtless with green or red cloths and rudraksha, sit on the grass chanting and performing the fire ritual. Golden-lit deity murtis flank the back wall, and onlookers sit in the foreground, some in white and orange saris. Brass vessels and microphones are visible.2016-07-04July 04 20162016-07-04