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Night-time homa at an open ashram courtyard. A fire burns in a yellow-and-white tiered fire pit decorated with painted motifs, with dry grass laid around its base. Several shaved-headed young men in saffron-orange robes with rudraksha malas and white forehead markings sit cross-legged around the fire, some making offerings. At right, a figure in white dhoti with a white head cloth and white shawl sits beside the fire, along with another in white. A man in orange robes sits in the background. A yellow flower garland and a tray of fruit sit at the right edge. Smoke rises into the dark roof area.

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November 20 20132013-11-20Night-time homa at an open-air ashram site. A rectangular white and yellow stepped fire pit with a lit fire of logs and smoke rises from it. Five young people sit around it with palms pressed in anjali, faces lowered in prayer. Most wear saffron-orange robes with rudraksha malas, and their shaved heads and white and ochre forehead and body markings are visible. One young person on the right wears white dhoti-style clothing, a white headwrap and a rudraksha mala. A brass bowl sits on the fire pit edge beside a sprig of leaves, and a few seated onlookers and a cameraman with a tripod stand in the background, with a yellow flower and marigold petals near the fire pit.2013-10-15November 20 20132013-11-20November 20 20132013-11-20July 22 20132013-07-22A homa fire ritual at night in an open courtyard. A fire burns in a yellow-edged stone fire pit strewn with yellow flowers. Five young men in saffron-orange robes sit around it. The central one wears an orange turban and a gold necklace, and pours an offering from a ladle into the flames. Another wears a rudraksha mala and holds a ladle; a man in an orange shawl and brown beaded mala speaks into a microphone, and another holds a small silver vessel. Smoke rises above them. White sacred ash marks the foreheads and arms of the men.2013-11-04A homa fire ritual at night in a yellow-painted fire pit. Flames rise from wood and offerings, with smoke drifting across the frame. A young priest in white dhoti and shawl, wearing a white turban and rudraksha mala, feeds the fire. Around the pit, several shaven-headed young sannyasis in saffron-orange robes with white tripundra markings and rudraksha malas sit watching and tending the ritual. A silver bowl, a yellow marigold garland and a small decorated kolam-style disc sit at the pit's edge. An unidentified figure in white sits in the background.2013-10-15A photograph of a homa fire ceremony at night in a hall filled with smoke. A white rectangular fire pit with yellow borders and a central emblem sits in the foreground, with burning logs and coconuts nearby. Around it sit about eight young men with shaved heads and white forehead markings. Several wear saffron-orange cloths and rudraksha malas, while two in the centre wear white dhoti-style garments, one with a white head wrap. They sit cross-legged on an orange cloth, hands joined or holding ritual items. Brass oil lamps with lit flames and a garland stand at the right edge. Several onlookers in white are seated behind. No a person candidate is clearly visible, so no identity is asserted.2013-10-15A homa fire burns in a square stone fire pit at night, with flames and smoke rising. Around it, a group of young saffron-robed sannyasi boys and younger initiates sit on striped mats, many with shaved heads and tripundra marks, some holding offerings. A saffron-robed priest stands at center, leaning toward the fire. On the right, a figure seated on an ornate throne wears a saffron turban, a shawl, a heavy gold-and-garland necklace and rudraksha-style beads, with wrists adorned with bangles, and holds his hands in a blessing posture. Brass vessels and small offering plates sit near the pit, with a lit oil lamp and a shaved-head devotee in the foreground. Spectators in white stand in the background.2013-07-22A night-time homa at an outdoor fire pit with yellow-and-white tiered sides. Ash and burning embers fill the square pit, with a small flame at the right edge. A man in white dhoti and white turban, with white marks on his body and a rudraksha mala, sits behind the pit, holding a ladle and a small brass vessel. To the left, several young people in saffron-orange robes sit with palms pressed together in prayer, some with white tilak marks on their foreheads. A bundle of dried sticks and a metal bowl of offerings sit on the cloth. Behind the pit, a deity murti is decorated with yellow and orange marigold garlands and a purple cloth. The scene shows four visible seated people in the foreground and a fifth partially visible at the far left edge.2013-11-07December 20 20132013-12-20July 22 20132013-07-22