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Outdoor ritual at an ashram courtyard with red-walled buildings and palm trees. A seated man on the right, wearing a red-orange cloth, a beaded headband and many bead bracelets, extends his arm toward a large fire burning on a stone platform. In front of him, a row of young ascetics in saffron and orange robes and orange turbans sit on mats. Standing near a square stone fire pit with a gilded rim, two attendants, one bare-chested, tend the rite; a standing woman in orange robes holds bells and a lamp. A large steel vessel stands at the lower right. Visible offerings include a bowl and a brass lamp, consistent with a homa or fire ritual.

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August 31 20172017-08-31August 31 20172017-08-31Night-time homa at an open-air ashram courtyard. A standing man in saffron-orange robes with a long orange shawl and a multi-strand flower garland holds up a brass plate of yellow offering. Seated devotees in orange and red robes, some with rudraksha malas and white-marked foreheads, sit around a square brick fire pit with burning wood and small brass bowls. A woman in orange sari stands at upper right, and a laptop sits on a mat. A white standing fan and a speaker are visible in the background.2013-03-18Outdoor ritual at an ashram courtyard during a fire ceremony. A bare-chested priest in a dark red-orange dhoti kneels at a stone yajna pit, tending a bright flame and pouring from a brass vessel into the square basin. Beside him, a priest in orange dhoti and orange head cloth holds a ceremonial implement, and a woman in a red-orange sari stands near a separate burning fire. Behind them, seated devotees in orange and white clothes watch, and a large silver-toned vessel stands in the foreground, with red-roofed buildings and palm trees beyond.2017-08-31A night homa at a square fire pit with flames and burning wood at the centre of the frame. A figure with long swept-back hair, wearing saffron clothing, ornate gold-and-beaded necklaces and rudraksha malas, sits cross-legged on a raised ornate silver seat and reads from a small book; the figure's appearance has several cues, so this is a probable Swamiji. Around the fire, shaved-headed priests in orange shawls and women in orange and red saris with gold borders sit in rows and hold ritual items; a row of women in saffron-orange saris stands behind with hands folded, under multicoloured string lights. Offerings and brass vessels line the fire pit's edge. Several dozen people are visible in the background.2013-03-10A photograph of a Siddha aushada preparation ritual in an open-sided hall. In the foreground, a bare-chested man in rust-orange cloth with a rudraksha mala kneels beside a square, gold-trimmed stone trough filled with sand and flower petals. Beside him a woman in a red-and-maroon sari sprinkles powder from a bowl into the trough. At left, a young man in orange garments with an orange head cloth holds a tray of cowdung cakes. Behind them stands a figure in a dark red robe with a long mala and a tall headwrap, appearing to be a sannyasi, and a woman in a green-and-yellow sari stands at right. Dozens of saffron-clad devotees with orange head cloths and malas stand in rows, many with palms joined, on striped floor mats. Silver vessels, a brass kalasha, a bowl of yellow liquid and dried herbs sit on the floor. The ritual is the aushada purification process.2017-08-31March 10 20132013-03-10Photograph of an outdoor ritual at an ashram courtyard. Saffron-robed priests with orange turbans and rudraksha malas tend a large square sacred fire pit lined with stone, with flames rising from it. Seated at right, a man in orange cloth with a patterned headband, layered necklaces and bangles sits on a raised seat beside a second fire where a robed figure feeds flames with cowdung-like fuel. A brass pot, oil lamps, a brass kalasha and cloth-covered offerings sit on mats. Rows of seated devotees in orange and white watch from behind, with a standing figure in white at the back and a red-walled building behind them.2017-08-31January 14 20182018-01-14Night homa at an outdoor ritual space. A central figure with long dark hair, wearing saffron-orange robes, multiple rudraksha and gold-bead malas and a long gold necklace, sits cross-legged on a raised ornate gold-framed seat behind a square fire pit with rising smoke. Around the fire, seated devotees in saffron and orange robes with gold borders, many with shaved heads and malas, face the seat, with women in red and orange saris at the right. Brass vessels, a kalasha-style pot and offerings rest on the fire pit's edge; a standing fan and string lights appear in the background. Around 40 to 50 people are visible.2013-03-10A night-time homa at an outdoor ashram courtyard, with smoke rising from a square fire pit lined with white tiles and brass vessels, puja items and offerings around its edge. A central figure with long dark hair, wearing an orange-red robe, a long ceremonial garland and a rudraksha-style mala, sits on a low gold-legged seat behind the fire pit with one hand raised in blessing. Surrounding devotees in saffron and orange robes and red blouses sit cross-legged with palms pressed together in prayer, and a standing man in white robes stands at the back. A pedestal fan and string lights are visible in the background.2013-03-10September 09 20132013-09-09