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A shaven-headed priest in saffron-orange robes sits cross-legged at a ritual platform, sprinkling grains or powder from his right hand over a flat metal tray. He wears a long gold bead necklace and a gold bangle, with a copper bowl and a small dish of red offerings nearby. Smoke or haze fills the dim background.

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October 01 20112011-10-01A man with a shaved head sits cross-legged on a raised platform beside a square homa fire pit at night, performing a fire ritual. He wears orange-saffron dhoti and upper cloth with a long gold-beaded necklace and a bracelet. He gestures with his right hand over the smoky fire pit while holding a small offering on a brass plate. Behind him stands a carved wooden chair, with a brass oil lamp burning on the right and brass vessels, a copper bowl with a ladle, and yellow flowers on banana leaves in front. Appearance-based identity is not clear enough to name him, so he is described by role as a priest performing homa.2011-10-01October 01 20112011-10-01A photograph of a priest in orange-saffron robes seated cross-legged beside a stone-edged fire pit during a homa. He is shaved-headed, wears a long gold-coloured necklace of beads, and pours or sprinkles offerings from a brass plate of grains and red items. Brass vessels, a bronze bowl with a ladle, a kalasha-style pot and offering trays lie around him, with smoke rising from the pit and a wooden seat behind him.2011-10-01October 01 20112011-10-01October 03 20112011-10-03A shaved-headed man in saffron-orange robes with a golden-yellow border sits cross-legged before a black-topped fire pit or homa altar at night, holding a slim metal ladle-like stick and looking down at the flames. He wears a long gold necklace with a pendant, gold bangles, and a tilak on his forehead. Behind him is a carved wooden seat with a circular backrest. To the right stands a brass kalasha-like vessel decorated with white flowers, green leaves and a red garland, and a pink cloth lies in the foreground. Brass bowls with fruit and small cups sit on the stone platform at left. Foliage and warm lamplight fill the dark background.2011-10-03October 01 20112011-10-01A photograph of a homa or yagna at night. A shaved-headed priest in saffron-orange robes and a gold bead necklace sits on a wooden chair, pouring liquid from a metal vessel with a long spout into a square fire pit lined with white stone. Behind him stand brass kalashas wrapped in mesh and dressed with mango leaves, a tall brass lamp with a lit flame, and a standing deity murti draped in garlands. Strings of small lights glow in the dark background.2011-10-03Evening homa at a fire pit, with a white-walled square fire pit in the foreground. A shaved-headed man in orange robes, a white tripundra forehead marking, and a gold-beaded necklace sits on a carved wooden throne-like chair, reaching into a steel bowl. Behind him a man in white dhoti sits and handles ritual items; a few people sit at left. Trays of rice dishes and offerings are set out at the bottom edge, with a yellow flower garland tied near the pit. Background shows a bamboo fence and a red-walled structure at night. The person on the throne is an appearance-based candidate only; the page does not confirm his identity from the image.2010-11-05A shaved-headed man in saffron-orange robes sits on a carved wooden chair beside a square homa fire pit lined with white stone, pouring or offering from a ladle with a metal bowl at his left. He wears a gold beaded necklace and gold bangles. Behind him are brass oil lamps, kalasha pots wrapped in netting with mango-leaf and coconut tops, and a pink and blue deity murti garlanded with yellow marigolds. Lit string lights and flowers fill the background.2011-10-03A seated man in orange-saffron robes and a long beaded necklace of gold and rudraksha-style beads pours grains or offerings with his right hand into a brick-lined fire pit. Bright flames rise from the lower right of the pit, and sparks and grains fall through the air. Behind him stand a brass vessel, a yellow-grain dish on banana leaves, a small metal lamp and a brass bell in a dim outdoor setting. The scene suggests a homa fire ritual.2011-10-01