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A homa fire blazes in the foreground of a temple hall, with tall flames and smoke rising from a pit of offerings. A man at left in white dhoti and shawl with vertical white tilak and a gold necklace holds a microphone and presses his palms together. In the centre a man in orange saffron robes, rudraksha mala and a layered bead-and-silver necklace with a patterned headpiece folds his hands in prayer. At right a man in white dhoti and gold-bordered shawl with a grey-white beaded necklace and a black headwrap joins his palms. Banana leaves, marigold garlands, a ceremonial staff and a red-and-gold decorated pillar frame the scene. Whether the central saffron-robed man is a person cannot be determined from appearance.

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A photograph of a fire ritual, a homa with tall orange flames and smoke rising from a fire pit in the foreground. Four men stand behind and beside the fire. On the left, a man in white dhoti and shawl with gold chain and horizontal white tilak holds a microphone in one hand and a gesture in the other. The center man wears an orange wrap, a white-and-orange headdress, a rudraksha mala and beaded necklaces, with palms pressed together in prayer. To his right, a bare-chested man in a white dhoti with gold border and beaded mala presses his hands together. Behind them are marigold garlands, banana leaves, a brass kalasha-style vessel and a stone pillared hall with colourful cloth decorations.2018-04-14April 14 20182018-04-14April 14 20182018-04-14A photograph of a sacred fire ritual inside a richly decorated Hindu temple hall with pink and silver shrine alcoves holding deity murtis. A large blazing homa fire rises from a stacked brick fire pit topped with a tiered ornate golden altar, decorated with red flowers. On the left, a bare-chested priest in white dhoti with a saffron-coloured shawl and rudraksha mala sits with hands folded, beside a standing man in white dhoti with a saffron sash and a yellow-brown headwrap seated near him. On the right, a young man in white dhoti and purple-striped sash bends forward tending the fire. Seated devotees in white and orange clothes watch in the background, and green mats cover the floor.2016-07-02September 04 20132013-09-04 +2 copiesNight-time homa at an open-air temple pavilion. In the foreground a large fire burns in a tiered yagna kunda decorated with marigold garlands and red kumkum. Behind it a priest in white dhoti with a saffron-and-gold shawl holds a vessel over the flames and offers oblations, while a second priest in cream dhoti with a gold border holds a bundle of kusha grass beside him. At right a man in a saffron dhoti with a red rudraksha mala and bare chest, hands folded in anjali, stands by a table of flowers and offerings. Behind them more white-clad priests tend additional fire pits under bamboo-supported roofing, with a deity shrine lit at the back. Coconuts, flowers and brass pots sit on the ground.2018-03-02A Vedic Rudra homa is underway outdoors before a large seated gathering. In the centre, a bare-chested priest with a saffron-and-white turban and a green-and-gold sash pours an offering from a small vessel into a brick fire pit where flames rise high. Beside him, another bare-chested priest in white dhoti with a pink-and-purple shawl holds his hands together in prayer. At right stands a young assistant in an orange-brown shawl and rudraksha mala beside an ornately decorated altar with carved figures and flower garlands. Brass lamps, offering bowls and baskets of grains sit on the ground. Behind them, rows of devotees in white with red shawls sit or stand, many with palms joined.2016-07-02 +1 copiesJuly 19 20132013-07-19A homa fire burns inside a brick fire pit in an indoor hall with a corrugated metal wall. A woman in an orange sari stands at the fire, and a bare-chested priest in orange cloth kneels at the pit, tending it with a ladle-like vessel. Around them, men in maroon and orange shawls, white dhotis and gold-bead necklaces stand on striped woven mats, one holding a bowl. On the right, a decorated altar displays brass lamps, kalasha-style vessels, and figurines. Several people stand in a line beyond the fire; the visible people are a small group.2015-09-14April 14 20182018-04-14July 16 20152015-07-16June 05 20122012-06-05