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A photograph of a homa fire ritual at the base of a large banyan tree with many aerial roots. A man seated on a low wooden seat wears an orange-saffron dhoti and is bare-chested, with long dark hair, and he reaches forward to throw marigold petals or flowers toward a square fire pit built of white bricks. The pit holds small brass bowls, a brass pot and a small brass pyramid-shaped object. A steel plate of flowers and offerings rests on his lap, and smoke rises beside the tree. Swamiji (probable) is indicated by the long hair, saffron clothing and ritual setting, while the bare-chested seated figure performs the offering.

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Outdoor ritual beside a large banyan tree with many hanging aerial roots. A man with long, swept-back dark hair and a bare upper torso, wearing an orange saffron cloth draped over his shoulder and lower body, sits on a carved wooden seat and holds a small silver vessel in his right hand. A microphone on a stand is near him. In front of him is a low platform of white bricks decorated with marigold flowers, a brass bowl, small silver containers, a golden pyramid-shaped object, and a pink flower. White cloths lie on the left. Swamiji (probable): long swept-back hair and saffron clothing, seated in a ritual role as the presiding figure.2006-09-21A photograph of a homa ritual outdoors beneath a large banyan tree with dense aerial roots. A seated man with long dark hair, bare-chested and wearing an orange-saffron dhoti-style cloth, holds his hand over a pyramid-shaped fire altar built of white bricks and decorated with marigold petals. Smoke rises from the altar. Around him are brass and silver vessels, a silver bowl, a red flower, a small golden kalasha on top of the altar, and white cloth on a blue mat. Ritual offerings are arranged on banana leaves in the foreground. Swamiji (probable) is indicated by the long swept-back hair and saffron clothing of the seated officiant performing the homa.2006-09-21Outdoor photo of a seated man in saffron-orange robes performing a homa beside a square fire pit lined with white bricks, with a burning flame at right. He wears a red tilak on his forehead and has long, swept-back dark hair, and sits on a small woven stool facing the camera with his hands resting in his lap. Before him are brass and steel vessels, a brass pyramid-shaped object, a copper bowl, a small open book on a stand, and scattered marigold petals. A microphone stands at left. Behind him a large banyan tree with aerial roots forms a dark hollow at its base, and bare sandy ground surrounds the scene. Probable Swamiji wearing saffron robes, a long swept-back hair style and a red tilak mark, presiding over the homa ritual.2006-09-21Outdoor fire ritual beneath a large banyan tree with sprawling aerial roots. A figure with long, swept-back dark hair and a bare torso wrapped in orange cloth kneels on a blue cloth, pouring an offering with a metal ladle into a fire built within a stacked white-brick fire pit. Brass vessels, a small golden kalasha-style pot, a lit wick, flowers and rows of clay lamps line the foreground. A microphone stand stands beside him. The figure has distinctive long hair and orange clothing, so the appearance cue is probable Swamiji, performing a homa at a fire pit.2006-09-21A photograph of a man seated outdoors before a large banyan tree with aerial roots, performing a ritual at a low white brick altar. He wears a bare upper body with an orange saffron cloth wrapped around his lower body, and has long dark hair. He holds a silver ladle or spoon and pours or sprinkles an offering into a brass bowl on the altar. Marigold petals are scattered on the altar, a small golden figure stands near the bowl, and smoke rises from a fire at the right. A clip-on microphone is attached near his shoulder. The scene suggests a homa or fire offering performed beneath a sacred tree.2006-09-21A photograph of an outdoor ritual at a fire altar built from stacked white bricks. A man in an orange saffron wrap with long dark hair sits cross-legged at the left, bare-chested, speaking into a small microphone on a stand. His right hand reaches toward a small metal bowl of pink powder set on the brick altar. Marigold petals are scattered on the bricks, and a brass bowl, a silver vessel and a small brass pyramidal object sit nearby. Behind the altar, the large twisting aerial roots of a banyan tree and a dark cave-like opening form the background. Blue cloth and white towels with offerings lie in the foreground.2006-09-21A photo of a homa fire ritual outdoors beneath a large banyan tree with aerial roots. A bare-chested man in an orange dhoti-style wrap sits cross-legged on a woven mat, pouring an offering from a white-tipped ladle into a square fire pit built of white-washed bricks. Bright orange flames rise from the pit on the right. Around him are brass bowls, a brass pot, a small brass vessel, and scattered marigold petals and flowers on the bricks. A rudraksha mala hangs from his hand and a carved wooden seat with a round carved backrest is behind him. The man has long, dark, swept-back hair and appears to be Swamiji (probable), identified by long swept-back hair and the bare-chested orange ritual wrap, seated for the fire offering.2006-09-21Outdoor ritual homa at the base of a large banyan tree with aerial roots. A seated figure in saffron-orange robes, with long dark swept-back hair and a forehead marking, holds a red flower and speaks into a microphone. In front of him a square fire altar is built from white bricks decorated with marigold petals and yellow flowers. Brass and silver vessels, a bowl of yellow offerings, a copper kalasha, a brass shrine-shaped object and a ladle sit on a blue cloth. A carved wooden seat is on the left. The scene reads as a homa performed on the ground.2006-09-21Outdoor ritual scene beneath a large banyan tree with aerial roots and a dark hollow in its trunk. A man with long dark hair and an orange saffron wrap sits on a low wooden seat behind a white brick homa fire pit, his hands resting on his knees, with a microphone stand nearby. Beside him, a younger man in white clothing with an orange shawl sits on a blue cloth. The brick pit holds a brass kalasha-like vessel, a small oil lamp, marigold petals, and brass bowls with offerings. The sitter is an appearance-based a person candidate, identified by long swept hair and saffron clothing, shown in person.2006-09-21A photograph of an outdoor ritual beneath a large banyan tree with thick aerial roots. A man with long dark hair, wearing an orange saffron wrap, sits on a carved wooden chair holding a ceremonial object with smoke rising from it, speaking into a microphone. Before him is a square altar of white bricks decorated with orange marigold petals, flanked by brass and silver ritual vessels, a small kalasha-like pot and a pyramid-shaped brass piece. Rows of clay lamps filled with oil and small wicks sit on the blue cloth in front. A second man in white with an orange shawl sits cross-legged on the right, watching the proceedings. The appearance of the seated man in the orange wrap is consistent with the page's reference to a person, but this is uncertain from appearance alone.2006-09-21A photograph of a homa at an outdoor site beneath a large banyan tree with dense aerial roots. A bare-chested man with long, swept-back dark hair, wearing a saffron-orange dhoti-style cloth, kneels on a mat and pours liquid from a long-handled silver ladle onto a fire pit built of white bricks sprinkled with marigold petals. A smoke wisp rises from the pit. A brass bowl, a small brass pyramid-shaped vessel, and a silver kalasha-style pot sit among the offerings. A second person in white, partly visible at the left edge, is seated beside a silver tray of flowers and vessels. The man's distinctive long hair and saffron clothing are visible; his identity is uncertain from appearance alone.2006-09-21A seated man in an orange saffron wrap sits before a banyan tree with dense hanging aerial roots, performing a ritual at a white brick fire altar. He has long dark swept-back hair, a red tilak mark on his forehead, and his bare arm extends over a brass bowl on the altar. A microphone on a stand is in front of him. Marigold flowers in orange and red lie on the altar bricks, and a small gold pyramid-shaped object sits on the right. Silver vessels stand at his side, and a small oil lamp burns on the altar. The a person candidate, with long swept hair, a saffron wrap and a red tilak, is. The setting is an outdoor ritual at a banyan tree.2006-09-21