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Night photograph of a fire ritual in a temple courtyard. A seated man in saffron-orange robes, wearing a tall decorated crown-like headpiece, a rudraksha mala and an ornate gold pendant necklace, extends his hand toward a large bronze vessel of burning fire. Beside him a priest in orange robes and a rudraksha mala tends the flames, while a bare-chested assistant in a dhoti pours from a silver vessel. Rows of silver animal-shaped vahana stands with flower garlands line the foreground on a striped cloth, along with brass bowls, a small oil lamp and a kalasha-like container. Devotees in white and red clothes watch from behind.

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Night ritual at a temple-like hall with a fire pit. A bearded man in orange-red dhoti and shawl on the left pours from a vessel into a large bronze bowl holding a blazing flame. A central seated man wears an orange-red wrap, a large gold pendant necklace, a rudraksha-style mala and a patterned turban, and extends his hand over the fire. Behind them, a woman in a red sari and garlands sits among devotees in saffron and white. In front, silver ratha-style miniature vahanas and figures with flower garlands and a silver peetha-style canopy are arranged on striped cloth, with mortars, small brass vessels, lemons and a lit oil lamp. This appears to be a homa with offerings.2017-10-08October 08 20172017-10-08 +1 copiesOctober 08 20172017-10-08Night-time ritual scene outdoors under a canopy hung with colourful tassels. A man with long dreadlocked hair wrapped in a leopard-print headband sits on a silver throne-like chair, wearing an orange-saffron dhoti and shawl, a gold chain pendant, rudraksha-style gold beads and bangles. He tends a small flame in a brass vessel with one hand, beside an oil lamp and a clay bowl of offerings. Silver-plated lingam forms sit on silver trays, along with brass and silver ritual vessels, a silver deity-shrine structure, stone mortars and a green-and-orange striped cloth. Clay pots, a red-and-white striped wall and a steel fan stand nearby.2017-10-08October 08 20172017-10-08October 08 20172017-10-08A seated man in an orange-red saffron robe and a leopard-print headwrap sits on an ornate silver throne at night, with a fire burning in a brass bowl beside him. He wears a long gold necklace and a rudraksha-style bead mala, and holds his hand over the flame. Silver ritual vessels with rounded lids, silver trays, brass oil lamps and a mortar-and-pestle set surround him on a striped mat. Behind, a silver chariot-style altar holds a deity murti decorated with garlands, and a silver bull figure stands nearby.2017-10-08October 08 20172017-10-08A seated man in saffron-orange robes, a leopard-print headband and a long gold-bead necklace tends a small fire in a brass bowl, feeding it with his right hand at a silver-decorated ritual altar. Behind him stand silver ornamental vessels, a silver nandi bull and silver palanquin-style shrines garlanded with white flowers, plus a gold-toned standing deity figure and oil lamps on striped cloth. Ornate silver peetha seat and lamps suggest a homa or puja setting. A person in saffron clothing seated before a homa fire with silver ritual objects, under night lighting. The candidate's identity is uncertain from appearance alone.2017-10-08October 08 20172017-10-08October 08 20172017-10-08Outdoor evening ritual at a homa platform. A bare-chested man with long swept-back hair, a crown-like headdress and saffron-red shawl sits on a raised white platform at right, holding a long ladle over a fire on a brick heap; a silver tray stands beside him. In the foreground a gold-framed fire pit burns with flames. Seated on striped mats at left, men and women in saffron, orange and red robes and garlands sit in rows, one in an orange turban. Brass lamps are lit at right, a silver vessel stands in the foreground, and smoke rises across a crowd of devotees in the background.2017-08-31