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Outdoor fire ritual on a sandy beach at dusk. A brick fire pit with a burning flame sits centre-left, flanked by bundles of tied sticks and brass oil lamps. Four priests sit cross-legged on green mats in white dhotis and pink or purple shawls, with rudraksha-style beaded necklaces; one wears a pink turban and another has white vibhuti marks on his forehead. A covered offering table with a teal cloth and garlands stands behind the fire. A large crowd of roughly fifty to a hundred seated and standing devotees, many in white and colourful clothing, watches from the sand behind.

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Outdoors on a sandy beach at dusk, a fire homa is being performed. Four men in white dhotis with magenta or purple shawls sit on green mats around a small brick fire pit with burning flames, bundles of wood stacked beside them, and brass vessels and oil lamps nearby. Behind a draped green altar with flower decorations, a crowd of more than twenty seated and standing people watches the ritual against a pale sky.2015-12-25December 25 20152015-12-25Four priests sit on green mats on a sandy beach around a brick fire pit where a bright flame burns, with bundles of wood stacked to one side and a copper vessel and brass lamps nearby. A decorated altar draped in teal cloth holds fruit and floral offerings behind the fire. Two priests on the left wear white dhotis, purple-and-gold shawls and garlands; one wears a purple turban and stirs a ladle. Two on the right wear white dhotis with purple shawls and garlands. Behind them a large crowd of devotees in white, orange and red clothing sits and stands on the sand under a pale sky, which suggests a homa or yagna held outdoors.2015-12-25December 25 20152015-12-25December 25 20152015-12-25December 25 20152015-12-25December 25 20152015-12-25December 25 20152015-12-25December 25 20152015-12-25A photograph of an outdoor homa on a sandy beach at dusk, with a sunset sky in red and orange behind. A bright wood fire burns in a brick-lined fire pit at centre. Two priests sit on green mats at the left and right of the fire; the left priest wears a white dhoti, a magenta-pink cloth on his shoulders and a beaded garland, and the right priest wears a magenta shawl, a white cloth and a beaded necklace, holding a microphone. A blue-draped altar holds flowers, fruit and a kalasha-like arrangement. Brass oil lamps and a silver pot sit on the sand in front. Behind them, a large seated crowd of roughly a hundred people in white, red and orange clothing faces the fire, with more standing at the back.2015-12-25Night outdoor fire ritual on a sandy beach. A bare-chested man in white dhoti with pink sash and rudraksha mala stands holding a plate of offerings beside a seated priest in a pink turban and white dhoti who tends the fire. A brick fire pit burns brightly in front, with a teal-draped table of flowers, fruit and kalasha-like offerings behind it. A large crowd sits in the background, and a woman in orange sits at left.2015-12-25Evening beach ritual at sunset on sand with a large crowd of devotees seated and standing along the shoreline against a red-orange sky over the sea. In the foreground two priests in white dhotis, one bare-chested, sit before a blue-draped altar with a sacred fire burning on a stone or brass pit, with brass lamps and offerings nearby. To the right stand several brass deity murti on a red-draped platform, and at left an empty ornate chair with a framed portrait sits on a red carpet. The crowd includes many people in white and colourful clothing.2015-12-25