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A shaved-headed priest in white dhoti and shawl with yellow borders sits cross-legged before a black-and-white square fire pit, holding a silver arati lamp with flame and smoke rising as he performs a homa. Metal bowls of offerings, fruit and flowers sit on a platter in front. Behind him a man in white shirt and red-and-white cloth stands with a ritual instrument while seated women in white and yellow saris join hands in prayer beside potted banana plants and an orange wall with red-and-white striped pillars.

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A shaved-headed priest in white dhoti and shawl with gold trim sits cross-legged before a square fire pit at an outdoor ritual site, wearing a long rudraksha-style bead necklace and a forehead tilak. He holds a ladle over the flames while brass bowls of offerings, coconuts and yellow flowers lie on an orange cloth beside him. Behind him musicians play a drum and a wind instrument, and an assistant in white shirt watches. Red and white striped walls and green plants frame the courtyard.2011-12-17December 28 20112011-12-28A photograph of a homa fire ritual at an outdoor pavilion. A shaved-headed priest in white dhoti and shawl with gold-edged border, wearing a gold necklace and bangles, sits before a square fire pit and pours an offering from a ladle into bright orange flames. Nearby on the stone platform are a silver bowl, a brass plate of yellow offering, and a pile of firewood. Behind him, several seated musicians and devotees in dark and white clothing watch, with a microphone stand near the fire and green shrubs in the background.2011-12-16A shaved-headed priest in a white dhoti and shawl with gold trim sits cross-legged before a square white fire pit with a black interior, holding a silver vessel of flame aloft in his right hand. He wears a beaded necklace and bangles. Behind him, musicians with drums and wind instruments sit on a mat. Brass plates of offerings, including a bowl of yellow flowers and a silver vessel, rest on an orange cloth in the foreground. Orange walls, potted plants and a red-and-white striped border frame the courtyard.2011-12-17A homa fire ritual in progress on a sunlit outdoor terrace. A shaved-headed priest in white dhoti and shawl with gold borders and a beaded garland kneels before a square brick fire pit with flames rising, pouring offering from a silver ladle-like vessel. Another person in white holds a large silver bowl of grains at left, and silver bowls and a plate with offerings sit nearby. Behind the fire, decorated kalasha pots with mango-leaf tops and turmeric-marked coconuts stand on a bed of rice. A microphone stands at the fire pit and orange fabric hangs overhead.2011-12-28December 28 20112011-12-28December 28 20112011-12-28December 28 20112011-12-28A photograph of a homa fire ritual in an open courtyard. A bald priest in white dhoti and shawl with gold borders and a gold necklace pours an offering from a small ladle into a square fire pit with glowing embers, while a metal bowl of offerings sits at its edge. A microphone stands beside him. Behind him, a man in white clothing sits and watches, and to the right another man wearing a gold necklace sits in white. In the background, several seated men in white play drums, and red-walled buildings and trees fill the setting.2011-12-31A photograph of a homa fire ritual at an outdoor ashram courtyard. A young shaved-headed priest in white dhoti and shawl with gold beaded necklace lights an oil lamp held over a square homa pit lined with white stone. Beside him an older priest in white with gold necklace and glasses holds a small ritual vessel near a microphone stand. A woman in white sari sits in the background among metal offering bowls of turmeric, flowers and grains. Potted plants and an orange wall surround the scene.2011-12-31A shaved-headed priest in white dhoti and shawl with gold borders sits cross-legged before a fire pit built of brick-shaped blocks. He wears a long beaded necklace and bangles, a tilak on his forehead, and feeds the flames with a ladle held in his right hand. Silver bowls of offerings, a silver vessel and a tray sit beside him. Behind him three brass kalashas and potted palms stand near a red-and-white striped backdrop, and a woman in a white and yellow sari sits on a plastic chair. Yellow flowers decorate the blocks and three ornate vases with yellow flowers stand on the right.2011-12-28A shaven-headed priest in white dhoti and white shawl sits cross-legged before a square homa fire pit built of ochre bricks decorated with white markings and yellow flowers. He holds a microphone stand in one hand and an open book in the other, a silver bowl of grains nearby, with a ceremonial copper-and-silver vessel and offering bowls on a tray to his left. Two decorated kalashas with yellow flowers and banana leaves sit at right beside a red-orange cloth backdrop. The scene shows a fire ritual in progress with an oil lamp at the pit's edge. No other people are visible.2011-12-28