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Outdoor fire ritual (homa) at night. A tiered yellow brick altar with a blazing fire at its top is decorated with red flower petals and a white powder dusting. Four men in front sit on a green mat: the man at left in an orange shawl and beaded necklaces speaks into a microphone, a man in the center wears a teal cloth and a mala, a man next to him wears an orange shawl and a mala, and a bare-chested man at right wears a red-and-pink shawl and white dhoti. Brass oil lamps, a kalasha-style vessel, bananas, fruit and flower offerings sit on the mat. Behind them rows of seated devotees in white and red garments fill the space, with a painted deity murti at upper left.

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July 03 20162016-07-03July 03 20162016-07-03A fire ritual in progress: a large tiered brick altar with red, pink and green painted patterns and scattered rose petals holds a blazing fire with smoke rising. Two priests sit close to the fire; one in the centre wears a green cloth on his head and green waist cloth, and a rudraksha-style mala, pouring from a brass vessel. The second priest on the right is bare-chested with white dhoti, beaded necklace and white markings on his body. Behind them a seated crowd in white clothes with orange-red shawls and lanyards fills the hall. Brass bowls, flower garlands, fruit and an oil lamp lie on the floor to the right, indicating a homa or yagna.2016-07-04A night-time homa fire ceremony in an open courtyard. A large wooden fire pit with a tiered, white-patterned base is ablaze, decorated with marigold flowers. A shirtless priest stands behind it, wearing a white dhoti and a long beaded necklace. Seated on a silver-edged platform to the right is a woman in a pink head wrap, a white sari with orange border and a long beaded garland, offering into the fire. Beside her a man in an orange shawl and orange-trimmed garland sits near brass vessels and offering bowls. Rows of seated devotees in white and saffron clothing fill a colourful striped mat behind them, and a dark deity murti stands in the background. Brass lamps and bowls rest on the foreground ground.2016-02-22Photograph of a homa fire ceremony at night, with a square yellow-bordered fire pit blazing and smoke rising. Several priests in saffron-orange dhotis and shawls sit around the pit; one at the front wears a saffron wrap and dark-rimmed glasses and feeds sticks into the flame, another on the right wears an orange turban with a tall plume, rudraksha-style beaded garlands and gold ornaments and holds a sacred implement. Behind them, rows of seated devotees in white kurtas with red shawls and women in cream saris watch from a carpeted floor. A brass lamp and offering trays sit at the edge, and a small figure of a deity stands at the right corner.2016-02-07April 14 20182018-04-14July 04 20162016-07-04Night photograph of a homa fire ritual. A large blazing fire burns in a stepped white stone fire pit decorated with red and yellow flower petals. Several men in white dhotis sit around the pit; one at right, with shaved head and gold necklaces, presses his palms together in prayer. A standing priest in a white dhoti and sacred thread stands at the back. Brass plates hold offerings, a brass kalasha-style pot, oil lamps burn on the right beside a tray of fruit and flowers, and a decorated altar with red and green draperies is visible. Several people are seen from behind in the foreground.2010-10-16 +1 copiesA night-time homa at an open-air ground. A square fire pit is lined with orange bricks and bordered by yellow marigold garlands, with flames rising from the centre. On the left, a bare-chested man in a white dhoti sits at the fire pit feeding it with a long wooden stick and speaks into a microphone. On the right, a bearded man with long hair in a bun, bare-chested and wearing a red rudraksha mala and an orange and pink cloth, holds a lit oil lamp and speaks into a second microphone, with smoke rising beside him. Behind them, rows of seated devotees in white clothes with red lanyard badges sit with hands folded in prayer. A metal bowl and offering plates lie on the ground.2015-12-11February 22 20162016-02-22 +1 copiesA photograph of a Rudra Homa fire ritual outdoors on green mats. A large fire burns on a stepped altar of yellow-painted bricks decorated with red flower petals. Two priests in white dhotis sit bare-chested at the fire; the front priest wears a yellow turban, a golden garland and a green-and-white sacred thread, and holds a ladle over the offerings. Behind them a seated crowd in white clothes and red-orange shawls watches; several participants fold their hands in prayer. To the right stands a decorated shrine with a golden figure and offering plates, and metal vessels of grains and fruit sit in the foreground.2016-07-02A homa fire ritual in a temple hall. A bright flame burns in a square fire pit with a yellow-painted raised rim, in the foreground. A man with his back to the camera, wearing white with a rudraksha mala, faces the fire. Along the left, several men in white dhotis with gold borders and rudraksha malas sit cross-legged, some holding brass plates of grain and offerings, one with arms extended. A man in white with a white forehead mark and a mala stands at the right, and a figure in saffron/orange cloth with a red turban stands beyond him near a golden ornamental stand. Microphones stand beside the fire pit and a tripod-mounted camera is visible behind. Around 8 to 12 people are visible.2014-08-29