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Close photo of a ritual scene with a seated woman in orange-red sari and a gold necklace and red beaded bracelets, her hands near a flame. In front lie silver bowls and small silver vessels on a silver tray with ornate engraving, plus brass oil lamps with burning wicks and a stone fire pit with a bright flame. The striped red, blue and cream cloth covers the table. Smoke drifts across the frame and blurred figures appear at the top edge.

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October 08 20172017-10-08October 08 20172017-10-08December 20 20172017-12-20 +1 copiesA 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.2017-10-08A close photograph of a ritual fire in a carved stone bowl, with flames rising as a hand holding a wooden ladle, wearing a gold ring and a beaded rudraksha-style bracelet and an orange-red garment, tends the fire. Lit brass oil lamps stand nearby, one beside a gold-toned brass deity figure, and covered silver vessels sit on a colourful striped cloth. Only the forearm and hand of one person are visible, so the individual cannot be identified.2017-10-08A close photograph of a ritual in progress: a priest in a red-orange garment and rudraksha mala holds a bundle of thin white wicks or sticks that is burning, sending up flame and smoke over a dark stone mortar containing a yellow-orange paste with red powder. Silver kalasha-style vessels with ornate repousse designs stand on a silver tray behind, and the ground is covered with a gold and dark patterned cloth. The scene suggests an aushadha or medicinal-preparation offering. Only the priest's hand and arm and the lower body are visible, and no face is shown.2018-03-03A man seated on an ornate silver throne performs a fire ritual at night, with a bowl of flames in front of him. He wears an orange-red dhoti and shawl, a leopard-print turban with a crescent ornament, a gold necklace and rudraksha beads, and red wrist bands. Around him are silver ritual vessels, a silver bull (Nandi) statue, silver deity shrines, garlands of white flowers, brass oil lamps and a small brass figure. Stone mortars hold offerings, and a striped cloth covers the floor. The setting appears to be an outdoor temple-style courtyard with red and white striped walls and hanging decorations.2017-10-08A seated man in an orange-saffron dhoti-style wrap and matching shawl, wearing a heavy gold necklace and a rudraksha-style beaded mala, a patterned headband and bangles, tends a small flame in a brass vessel filled with offerings during an evening puja. Silver items, a silver peetha or chair, a brass lamp stand, a small silver deity murti, a bronze figure and mortar-and-pestle style stone vessels are arranged on a striped mat in front of a shrine decorated with flowers and bright hangings. A fan and a lit pathway appear behind.2017-10-08A seated man in saffron-orange robes and a gold necklace tends a fire in a stone bowl during a ritual, his hand reaching toward flames. He wears a leopard-print turban with a crescent ornament, and gold bangles on his arms. Behind him, a woman in a maroon sari and beaded necklace stands with hands together, and a man in orange kneels at the left. Silver kalasha pots and an oil lamp sit on a striped cloth, with deity murti in white in the foreground. Devotees sit in the background. Swamiji (probable): the seated man wears saffron robes, a leopard-print turban with a crescent ornament and a long gold necklace, matching the page's Swamiji reference, so he is labelled as probable in appearance only. The photo is a homa or yagna scene with fire and offerings.2017-10-08May 20 20142014-05-20December 20 20172017-12-20 +1 copiesClose-up photograph of a ritual preparation scene. A person in red and maroon robes sits cross-legged, wearing multiple strands of rudraksha malas and red-beaded bracelets, with rings on the fingers. Their right hand grinds or stirs a red-stained substance in a dark stone mortar using a wooden pestle. Nearby stand a polished silver bowl, a silver pot with a lid, a small silver footed stand, a brass oil lamp with a lit flame, and a small brass figure. A shallow terracotta-coloured dish with red powder sits in the foreground. The scene suggests an herbal preparation or aushadha process rather than a homa.2017-12-20 +1 copies