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Night-time homa at an open-air temple pavilion. In the foreground a large fire burns in a tiered yagna kunda decorated with marigold garlands and red kumkum. Behind it a priest in white dhoti with a saffron-and-gold shawl holds a vessel over the flames and offers oblations, while a second priest in cream dhoti with a gold border holds a bundle of kusha grass beside him. At right a man in a saffron dhoti with a red rudraksha mala and bare chest, hands folded in anjali, stands by a table of flowers and offerings. Behind them more white-clad priests tend additional fire pits under bamboo-supported roofing, with a deity shrine lit at the back. Coconuts, flowers and brass pots sit on the ground.

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Night photo of a homa fire ritual at an open temple courtyard. In the centre, a bare-chested priest in white dhoti with a gold-and-saffron cloth draped over the shoulder holds a silver vessel with a coconut and fruit toward a stone fire pit with bright flames and flower garlands. Beside him, another priest in a white dhoti with yellow borders holds ritual items and performs the offering. At right, a priest with folded palms wears red beads and a yellow-and-blue dhoti. Brass pots, marigold garlands and red offerings lie around the fire, and a shrine with deity murti and wooden pillars with bamboo scaffolding stands behind. Several more priests in white are visible at left.2018-03-02Night-time homa ritual in an open-air temple courtyard with a shallow fire pit in the foreground, ringed with marigold garlands and red flower petals. Several shirtless priests in white dhotis with yellow borders stand around the flames; one holds a small brass vessel and another raises a tapered ritual implement, while a third has hands folded in namaskar. To the far right an older man in a blue-bordered white dhoti tends a table draped in red and covered with flowers and fruit. Behind the fire, a shrine on the left holds a colourful deity murti framed by a decorated arch, and white scaffolding and pillars line the hall. Offering plates, a brass lamp, and a yellow cloth bundle sit on the ground.2018-03-02December 07 20162016-12-07Night-time homa at an outdoor temple courtyard. Several priests in white dhotis and bare upper bodies stand around raised stone fire pits, one with a large flame. A priest in a yellow-and-white dhoti holds a ladle or offering over the central fire, while another with folded hands stands beside him. On the right, a golden deity murti or ornate image is decorated with red and yellow flower garlands, with fruits, coconuts and brass vessels arranged on a red-draped table. Marigold garlands line the fire platforms. Scaffolding and pillars frame the background, and a lit shrine is visible at left.2018-03-02March 02 20182018-03-02Night-time homa at an open-air temple pavilion with bamboo scaffolding and a partly built pillared hall behind. A large fire blazes in a tiered yagna kund ringed with yellow marigold and red flower garlands. On the right, a bare-chested priest in white dhoti and shawl pours an offering from a vessel into the flames. Behind him, several priests in white and saffron stand with hands joined. On the left, a seated figure in a gold and red throne under a colourful canopy wears a flower garland and sits with hands folded, marked as the presiding figure. Brass vessels and a plate sit on the floor in front.2018-03-02Night photograph of a homa fire ritual in an open outdoor courtyard. A large stone fire pit with rising flames sits at the centre, with offerings of flowers and red petals around its base. Three priests in white dhotis stand behind it; the central priest wears a white shawl and a rudraksha mala and holds a vessel over the fire, while a priest on the right, in a white garment with a mala, leans in to assist. A priest with a white turban stands on the left. A wooden carved disc stands beside the pit. A seated priest in the foreground, shown from behind, holds his hands in namaskar. A row of seated devotees watches from the left, and a standing devotee with folded hands appears at the right edge. Brass lamps, plates of offerings and a decorated seat sit on a cloth to the right, under strings of leaf garlands and a painted pillar.2010-10-16 +1 copiesNight outdoor homa at an ashram courtyard. A brick fire pit with lit flames sits on a white stepped stone platform scattered with flower petals. A woman in white with a yellow head wrap bends forward pouring an offering from a metal bowl into the fire. Beside her a bald man in white with a red-and-yellow cloth and rudraksha-style beads holds a brass bowl of red flowers. Behind them a standing man in white with a gold chain and beads holds a ritual vessel, and a woman in white with a yellow shawl stands further back. Seated devotees in white line the left side. A large carved wooden drum-like object and brass lamps with oil flames sit to the right, with a garland of red flowers near a brass vessel. Decorated painted pillars and leafy garlands frame the scene.2010-10-16 +2 copiesNight-time fire ritual (homa/yagna) at a temple courtyard. A shirtless man with a striped yellow-and-blue dhoti and a rudraksha-style necklace stands with palms joined before the flames. In the centre, a bald priest in white dhoti with a saffron-and-gold shawl pours offerings into a burning fire pit. A kneeling person in white clothing bends over the fire pit. Fresh flower garlands in red and white, fruit, and marigold offerings lie around the raised platform. Behind them, a shrine holds a deity murti with a garlanded image beside it, and white pillars line the colonnade. A man in white stands at the right edge holding a metal vessel.2018-03-02April 14 20182018-04-14March 02 20182018-03-02January 06 20182018-01-06