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A night puja at a temple shrine with a fire pit (homa kunda) in the foreground. A priest in a white dhoti with bare upper body and sacred ash marks stands before a flaming camphor or oil lamp (aarti), held over a decorated deity murti heavily garlanded with red, white and yellow flowers on an orange cloth. Two assistant priests in white dhotis, one holding a bell and a small vessel, stand at left; another wears a yellow shawl and a rudraksha-style necklace. Bananas and fruit sit on a tray at right. a person is not visibly present; no appearance-based candidate qualifies.

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July 17 20132013-07-17December 07 20162016-12-07A night-time homa at an outdoor fire pit on a white tiered platform strewn with yellow marigold petals and red flowers. A priest in a white dhoti bends over the fire, feeding it with a ladle or stick, while two more priests in white dhotis stand behind him, one with a green headpiece and one bare-chested with a sacred thread. To the right, several deity murtis and images are draped in red cloth and adorned with white and yellow garlands, with a silver-crowned figure at the centre. A large ornate golden frame with garlands hangs in the background, and fruit sits on the red-draped table.2013-07-19July 04 20162016-07-04Night-time homa at an open ashram hall. A large fire burns in a rectangular yellow-painted fire pit in the foreground. Behind it, a figure in an orange-and-white garment stands before a decorated deity murti on a throne, the murti draped in marigold and multicoloured garlands and a saffron cloth. Four men stand to the left in white dhotis with gold borders, wearing rudraksha malas; the foremost wears an orange-red robe with gold border and a rudraksha mala, hands folded in prayer. A standing microphone is near the fire. A decorated side shrine with a garlanded deity on the right, and a ceiling hung with paper decorations.2015-01-03March 06 20162016-03-06 +1 copiesMarch 06 20162016-03-06 +1 copiesNight-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.2018-03-02January 06 20182018-01-06July 04 20162016-07-04Night-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.2018-03-02A 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.2016-07-02