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Night-time ritual at an outdoor altar. A shaved-headed priest in white dhoti with a red-and-white bordered shawl and a rudraksha mala holds a lit camphor flame aloft in one hand while gripping a brass ladle-like vessel with the other. A brass lamp and bowls of offerings, including fruit and bananas, sit on a wooden platform before him, with bundled sticks nearby. Another man in white stands in the background, and two seated watchers are at the left edge. Red wooden pillars frame the scene.

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April 23 20122012-04-23A shaven-headed priest in a white dhoti with a red-striped border sits cross-legged at an outdoor fire pit at night, bare-chested with a rudraksha mala around his neck and white vertical tilak marks on his forehead. He performs a homa, with incense sticks, a small brass lamp, flowers, fruit and bowls of offerings arranged before him, and smoke rising from the fire. A microphone on a stand is near him. Two seated children and an adult in a red shirt watch at the left under open-sided ashram buildings.2012-04-23A night-time homa at an open-air outdoor ashram setting. A shaved-headed priest in white dhoti and a pink-striped shawl sits at a raised stone fire pit, pouring an offering with a brass ladle-like vessel while speaking into a microphone on a stand. Rudraksha beads hang around his neck and he wears bangles. Brass vessels of offerings, banana pieces and flower garlands in red and orange sit beside the pit, and a kalasha decorated with flowers stands at right. Two seated devotees and a man in red and white are visible at left under a pillared shelter.2012-04-23April 23 20122012-04-23A photo of a shaved-headed priest in a white dhoti with red border and bare chest, wearing a rudraksha mala and a silver bangle, seated at a stone homa fire pit at night. He holds a small object over the fire with both hands while smoke rises around him. A microphone stand is beside him. Behind him a woman in a white shawl sits near brass vessels and greenery. Silver bowls, a ladle, a pile of dried sticks and a green and red cloth bundle sit on the ledge. The priest shows no distinctive a person cues such as long hair, saffron clothing or crown, so his identity is uncertain.2012-04-23A shaved-headed priest in a white dhoti with red-bordered shawl sits at an outdoor ritual table, performing a ritual with his hands over a small vessel. He wears a rudraksha mala and a pendant necklace, and a bangle on his wrist. Before him are brass bowls, a red-and-green cloth bundle, dried plant offerings, and a microphone on a stand, with incense smoke rising at the right. The setting is an outdoor courtyard with greenery and a brick wall behind him. The photo shows a puja or homa-style ritual rather than a portrait of a named person.2012-04-23April 30 20122012-04-30Outdoor ritual scene at an ashram under palm trees. A bare-chested priest in white dhoti with a gold border sits on a mat and holds a flaming camphor lamp aloft in his right hand while ringing a small handbell in his left. He wears a rudraksha mala and tripundra markings on his forehead, with a gold bangle on his wrist. In front of him are steel bowls, a brass tray with fruits and flowers, lit oil lamps, and a garland-draped boy in white and blue to the left. Around them devotees in saffron shawls and white clothes sit with palms pressed together in prayer.2012-04-30Night ritual aarti at an open-sided hall with a corrugated roof and pennants. A standing priest in white dhoti and shawl with red-and-white border, bare-chested with a gold-toned beaded necklace, holds up a silver lamp with a flame in one hand. Seated devotees in white fill the foreground and background, some with hands folded. Leaf festoons and striped cloth hangings decorate the space. A figure in the lower right wears a white garment and glasses. The priest's build and dress match ordinary ritual attire, so the identity of the officiant is uncertain.2010-10-16 +1 copiesA shaved-headed priest sits cross-legged in a white dhoti with a gold-bordered shawl draped over his left shoulder, wearing a long beaded gold-toned necklace and a large gold pendant. He holds a silver lamp with a burning flame in his right hand and a small bell in his left, performing an aarti or puja. Vertical white tilak marks decorate his forehead. Behind him, blurred seated figures and drums suggest a ritual gathering in an outdoor courtyard with green foliage.2011-12-17April 30 20122012-04-30October 16 20102010-10-16 +1 copies