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A large open tent with striped multicoloured mats hosts a fire ritual. A square homa fire pit with smoke rising sits at centre, surrounded by bare-chested and white-clad priests and devotees seated on the floor. A standing priest in orange and yellow cloth holds a microphone and speaks. Fruit, flowers, betel leaves and brass offerings lie on trays, and paper lanterns hang from the ceiling.

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December 12 20162016-12-12A photograph of a ceremonial fire ritual under a decorated tent with hanging paper lanterns. In the centre a square fire pit with offerings of fruit, flowers and a kalasha sits on a striped rug. A seated priest in a white dhoti with an orange shawl leans over the pit, while another priest in white and a yellow-bordered cloth stands nearby, and a bare-chested attendant in yellow and white holds a bowl. Behind them many seated devotees watch. To the right a man in saffron-brown robes with long hair, flower garlands and a gold necklace sits on an ornate golden throne with sunburst rays, a person, identity unsure from appearance alone. Offerings of fruit and flowers are arranged on a silver tray in the foreground.2016-12-12A photograph of a Karthigai Deepam ritual inside a tent-covered temple hall at night. A square wooden fire pit with a dark lined centre is decorated with flower petals in the foreground, with flames and smoke rising from it. A priest in white dhoti and a saffron-coloured shawl kneels at the pit, tending a lit oil lamp. Another white-clad priest bends over ornate silver vessels, pots and fruit offerings arranged on a banana leaf. Behind them, a large golden throne with a sun-ray backrest holds a seated figure wearing a red-brown robe, a flower garland and a long mala necklace, and a dark shawl. Seated devotees in white fill the floor, and paper lanterns hang from the ceiling.2016-12-12A tented hall during a homa fire ritual. A bearded man in a red-brown robe with a garland of white flowers sits on an ornate golden throne with a red cushion under a striped canopy. A priest in white dhoti stands at left. In the foreground a priest in a saffron-yellow shawl and rudraksha mala feeds offerings into a wooden fire pit with visible flames, while another priest in white sits beside it. Baskets of fruit, plantains, coconuts and bundled twigs sit on the red floor. Hundreds of seated devotees, many in white and colourful saris, fill the hall beneath hanging paper lanterns and flags. Decorations and a golden backdrop frame the scene.2016-12-07December 07 20162016-12-07December 07 20162016-12-07A large tented hall with coloured paper streamers and lanterns hanging from the ceiling, filled with seated devotees in white. In the centre, a wooden homa fire pit stands on a red carpet scattered with flower petals. Two priests in white dhotis, one bare-chested and wearing a saffron shawl, stand beside the pit; a woman in a white cloth with a saffron wrap stands behind them and another woman in a yellow cloth sits in front. On the right, a seated figure in red and gold robes, wearing a garland and a black crown-like headpiece, sits on a gilded throne under a multicoloured parasol, flanked by attendants. Brass pots of fruit, flowers and lamps are arranged in the foreground, and a camera crew films the ritual. Identity of the figure on the throne is uncertain from appearance alone.2016-12-05December 07 20162016-12-07A large tented hall during an evening fire ritual. In the centre a wooden square fire pit with a bright flame sits on a red floor, surrounded by flower petals, brass vessels and garlands. A shirtless priest in white dhoti and an orange cloth kneels at the fire pit, tending the flames. Seated on an ornate golden throne with a red cloth is a man wearing an orange turban, a red shawl and a long beaded garland; a large multicoloured parasol stands behind him. Around him devotees sit on the floor in white and yellow clothes, and a woman in a maroon sari with a garland stands with folded hands at right. Colourful hanging lanterns decorate the ceiling and lights hang overhead.2016-12-05December 12 20162016-12-12December 05 20162016-12-05A large tented hall decorated with hanging colourful tassel lanterns and paper decorations. A seated figure on an ornate gold throne with a red cushion, wearing a red-orange turban and saffron-red robes with a rudraksha-style necklace, sits under a golden parasol at the left, facing a central fire pit (homa) with burning flames on a tiered wooden platform. Priests in white dhotis and saffron/orange shawls stand at the fire, one holding offerings on a tray, while a bare-chested man in a yellow cloth holds a ritual item. Rows of seated devotees fill the floor on striped mats, and a silver lamp stand with red flower garlands is at right.2016-12-07