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Photograph of a fire ritual (homa) at a temple-style stage. A seated bearded man with long hair, wearing a rust-brown robe and a pink-and-white flower garland, sits with palms pressed together in prayer on an ornate throne with leopard-print cushions, backed by a heart-shaped frame of yellow marigolds and mirror-work. Three standing ritual assistants in orange and gold dhotis, bare-chested with white body markings and dreadlocked hair, face the central sacrificial fire pit; one holds a trident and another carries a lit flame. Offerings, brass vessels and flower bundles sit in the foreground, and a cameraman with a tripod stands at the left edge. Whether the seated man is a person cannot be determined from appearance here.

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December 19 20162016-12-19December 19 20162016-12-19December 19 20162016-12-19December 19 20162016-12-19December 19 20162016-12-19Photograph of a fire ritual inside a decorated hall. In the foreground a gold-edged fire pit blazes with tall flames and smoke, with white offerings and a brass bowl on the ledge. Behind it a seated man in an orange-brown robe and a pink-and-white flower garland sits on a leopard-print seat before an ornate heart-shaped backdrop covered in yellow marigolds and jewelled borders. On the left a man in orange and gold dhoti, with a trident beside him and a handheld microphone, speaks or chants. A woman in orange and a gold necklace sits to the right near a fan. Floral and gold-trimmed ceremonial details fill the scene.2016-12-19A ritual fire ceremony at an ashram-style hall. Three young men in saffron-orange dhotis with gold borders stand before a fire pit, with a flame rising from its tray. The man at right, holding a lit lamp and a small silver vessel, wears a saffron shawl, a rudraksha-style mala and a gold pendant. The man at centre has his palms pressed together in prayer, and the man at left, wearing a mala, holds a microphone to his mouth. Their bodies are marked with white sacred ash, and their hair is bound in topknots. Behind them stands a golden throne decorated with a leopard-skin cushion and gold lion finials, backed by a large ornate arch covered in mirror-work, green and purple patterns and yellow flowers. A brass kalasha bowl and marigold and jasmine garlands lie at the front. The scene suggests a homa or puja.2016-12-19A night-time homa at an outdoor ceremonial pavilion. In the foreground a large fire blazes inside a golden square fire pit, with a silver lamp and a green-wrapped offering with garlands in front. Two young men sit cross-legged beside the fire, one with a tilak and bare chest wearing an orange-red cloth and gold chain, the other with a raised hand, face partly lit by the flames. Behind them, seated devotees in white and saffron wear flower garlands. On the right, a figure in saffron-and-red attire sits on an ornate leopard-print throne framed by a heart-shaped arch of yellow marigolds, holding garlands and flowers. Gold-trimmed decorations and bright lights frame the scene.2016-12-19December 19 20162016-12-19A homa fire ritual under a tent. Four young priests with bare upper bodies, orange and maroon dhotis, rudraksha malas, white and red forehead markings and topknots pour an offering from a vessel into a square fire pit with flames. Behind them a seated man in an orange robe with a flower garland sits on an ornate gold and multicoloured heart-shaped throne draped with leopard skin, with a trident beside him. Devotees with garlands sit with folded hands in the background, and a brass bowl of flowers sits near the pit. A tiered green-and-pink offering stands in the foreground. The seated man is the appearance-based a person, with orange robe, rudraksha and flower garland on the throne.2016-12-19A ritual fire ceremony in a temple-style hall. A seated man in brown-orange robes with a pink and white flower garland and a white tripundra mark on his forehead rests his hands in prayer before a large ornate throne covered in yellow marigolds and jeweled gold-and-blue patterned backdrop, with lion-armrest carvings. Three young priests in saffron-orange dhotis stand at a square fire pit with visible flames; the central priest, bare-backed with red-and-white markings, raises a lit lamp, while the left priest holds a microphone and the other joins palms. Brass pots, offerings and flower baskets sit at the front, and a video camera on a tripod records the scene.2016-12-19A photograph of a homa fire ritual under a large tent. In the foreground a square wooden fire pit with burning flames sits before a brass kalasha-style offering vessel. A bare-chested priest in orange dhoti stands raising a ritual vessel, and another priest in orange wrap beside him holds a mic-like object. On the right a seated man in a rust-orange robe with a pink-white flower garland sits with hands folded on an ornate gold and multicoloured heart-shaped throne with a canopy above. A trident stands to the left. Devotees in white and orange sit on the floor, many with garlands, and a man in white and yellow stands at the far right. The throne-seated man has a full beard and long hair; his identity is uncertain from appearance alone.2016-12-19