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A ritual scene inside a temple-style hall with white draped walls. A bald priest wearing a saffron-orange dhoti sits cross-legged on a yellow-brick homa platform, holding a ladle over a bronze bowl. Five young women sit in a row beside him wearing garlands; the four on the left wear cream and pastel saris, and the one on the right wears a pink sari. Behind them, a gold-framed shrine holds a large deity murti draped in red and magenta garlands, with a smaller murti on a side pedestal. Another white-clad man kneels at left beside brass vessels, and a yellow ornamental lion-throne stands at left with a flowering arrangement. Oil lamps and brass implements sit on the platform.

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October 21 20152015-10-21October 21 20152015-10-21 +1 copiesOctober 21 20152015-10-21 +1 copiesOctober 21 20152015-10-21 +1 copiesOctober 21 20152015-10-21 +1 copiesOctober 21 20152015-10-21 +1 copiesA ritual scene in a temporary pavilion with white draped walls. Six women in red and maroon silk saris, with white and orange flower garlands and yellow-and-red vermilion marks on their foreheads, sit in a row on the floor facing a yellow-brick square fire pit lined with marigolds and small oil lamps. A bald priest in a maroon and gold dhoti sits cross-legged at the pit, holding a ladle over a brass bowl. Behind them stand a golden throne-like peetha draped with yellow and pink garlands and a large deity murti decorated with flower garlands and gold ornaments. A brass kalasha and a small orange and gold flag are visible to the right, and a few more people in red stand in the background. The scene shows a homa-style fire ritual with offerings.2015-10-21 +1 copiesPhotograph of a ritual inside a temple-style hall during a homa-type fire offering. Central foreground: a shaved-headed priest in saffron-orange dhoti and bare upper body with white sacred marks, seated before a low brick fire pit with offerings. Four young women in saffron, pink and yellow saris and garlands sit around him; the two on the right wear red and orange silk. Behind them stand ornate deity murtis under flower garlands on golden thrones, with a golden kalasha-style lamp and an orange and red ceremonial banner. Petals and small oil lamps decorate the floor.2015-10-21 +1 copiesA temple ritual scene under a tent-like canopy. Five young women in cream, white, orange and pink saris, wearing white and pink garlands, sit in a row on a silver mat before a decorated deity murti hung with yellow and white flower garlands. In the foreground a young woman in white with gold border sits with her back to the camera. At right, a shaved-headed priest in orange-red dhoti and shawl, with rudraksha mala, performs the ritual before a bowl and a yellow-and-orange decorated square of fruit and flowers. A decorated silver-fringed umbrella stands at right, and lamps and brass vessels sit on the floor. Several other people stand in the background.2015-10-21 +1 copiesA ritual scene at a homa fire pit lined with yellow bricks and marigold petals, with brass vessels of offerings and a lit oil lamp in front. A bald, bespectacled priest in a saffron-orange dhoti with a rudraksha mala sits cross-legged, holding a ritual implement over a brass bowl. Six women in red, maroon and pink silk saffron-toned saris, with marigold and jasmine garlands, sit in a row beside him. Behind them, a golden ornate throne-like arch frames a decorated deity murti draped in flower garlands, with a second decorated figure and floral arrangements to the left and a small orange-and-white flag on a pole at the right edge.2015-10-21 +1 copiesA ritual scene before a richly decorated deity murti of a goddess, dressed in a red and gold sari and heavy garlands of yellow and white flowers, with a gold crown and jewelled ornaments. In front, a shaved-headed priest in an orange-brown dhoti with a sacred thread sits at the lower left, holding a long ritual implement over a brass bowl, and an oil lamp burns nearby. Four young women in silk saris, one in pink and orange, one in pink and red, and one in peach, sit on a red cloth with flower petals scattered at their feet, garlanded with white and orange flowers. Another woman in cream and gold stands behind the priest. Fruit, sweets and offerings are arranged on a tray at lower left, and a yellow and orange ceremonial banner hangs at the upper left, with the a person Times page date and photo credit as context.2015-10-21 +1 copiesOctober 21 20152015-10-21 +1 copies