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A night homa at a brick fire pit in an ashram room, with a bright flame rising from the brick altar. A man in a pink headcloth and bare chest with a rudraksha-style necklace pours offerings from a brass vessel beside the fire. A standing bare-chested man in white dhoti with white marks on his chest and a necklace watches, and another man in white stands in a doorway. Seated men in white dhotis are at left. Flower garlands, orange fruits, a red-and-white offering plate and brass oil lamps sit at right. A framed sign with multilingual camera-prohibition notices hangs on the wall.

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February 22 20172017-02-22A homa fire pit burns in a stone-walled room with a metal-detector gate in the background. Four men sit on colourful striped woven mats around the fire. Three are bare-chested in white dhotis; the one at the front has a red headcloth and holds a ritual item. Brass lamps, a plate of fruit and flower offerings, orange fruits and flower garlands surround the fire. A sign in English, Tamil and Hindi lists prohibited photography, video, mobile and audio recording. No a person candidate is visibly present.2017-02-22Night ritual beside a bright fire pit on the left, where a homa or yagna flame burns over a low stone altar. A bare-chested man in a pink-and-orange head wrap and white dhoti sits cross-legged and tends the fire. Beside him a woman in white sits with a notebook, and a shirtless young man with a rudraksha mala and gold chain sits at the edge. A standing man in a white dhoti with a sacred thread stretches toward a table laid with orange fruit, marigold-decorated kalashas, and red-smeared offerings on banana leaves. A bilingual sign reading Strictly Prohibited lists photography, video and audio recording rules, and an older man in white watches from the lower right.2017-02-22A photograph of a homa fire ceremony in a brick-walled hall. A bare-chested priest in white dhoti with a pink-and-gold cloth draped over his shoulder, a red and yellow head wrap, and bangles pours offerings with a ladle into a flaming fire pit made of brick. Behind the fire, a woman in a white sari with a gold border kneels, and another figure in orange robes stands near a dark wooden doorway. To the right, a seated young man in white and a woman in red with a forehead mark sit on striped mats beside brass pots, bowls of bananas and fruit, and marigold and rose garlands. A printed sign on the left wall lists photography and video recording as prohibited.2017-02-22April 03 20172017-04-03A photograph of a homa fire ritual inside a brick-walled hall with a dark wooden doorway behind. A yellow-painted brick fire pit burns with bright flames, surrounded by flower garlands, fruit, brass bowls and a kalasha-style offering. A bare-chested priest in a white dhoti and purple turban sits at left, holding a brass plate of grains and straw. Another man in an orange-trimmed cloth and a bare-chested man sit near the fire, and several people in white dhotis and white shirts stand at the doorway watching. A wall sign lists photography, video camera, mobile camera and audio recording as strictly prohibited.2017-04-03A photograph of a fire ritual inside a brick-walled hall with a wooden doorway. A yellow-brick fire pit (homa kunda) holds a large open flame, surrounded by flower garlands, banana bunches, fruit, and brass vessels with offerings. Several men in white dhotis sit cross-legged on striped mats, bare-chested, and feed the fire; one wears a purple head cloth and another a saffron-orange shawl. Standing figures in white dhotis move through the doorway behind them. A wall sign shows prohibitions on photography, video cameras, mobile cameras and audio recording. No one in the scene is identifiable as a person.2017-04-03April 03 20172017-04-03Photograph of a fire ritual inside a brick-walled hall with a wooden doorway. A square yellow-brick fire pit (homa kunda) with a bright flame sits at center, decorated with flower petals and garlands. Three seated priests in white dhotis work around it: one on the left wears a purple head cloth and beaded necklaces, one in the center wears an orange shawl and sits behind a brass bowl, and one on the right wears a rudraksha-style necklace and holds a book. A standing bare-chested young boy in a white dhoti and white sacred thread stands in the doorway, with several more white-clad young men behind him. Brass vessels, a kalasha, flower garlands and offerings lie on a striped mat. A sign on the left lists photography, video and audio recording as prohibited.2017-04-03April 03 20172017-04-03A homa fire burns in a yellow-walled brick fire pit at the centre, bordered by white and red rangoli and flower garlands. Three seated priests bare-chested in white dhotis frame it: the left one wears a purple-and-gold turban and gold beads, the middle one an orange shawl with a brass bowl, and the right one points toward a doorway. Behind them a wooden doorway with carved panels frames a standing bare-chested man in a white dhoti with a beaded necklace and a younger boy in white. A blue sign on the left lists prohibited photography, video, mobile camera and audio recording. Brick walls and trays of offerings complete the scene.2017-04-03February 22 20172017-02-22