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A photograph of a ceremony in an open courtyard with red-painted walls. A large square yellow-ochre fire pit with a burning blaze sits on striped cloth. Several people in saffron-orange robes and orange headcloths sit cross-legged in rows, some holding malas, while a bare-chested man in front works near the flames. Behind the fire, a figure in red-and-white clothing with a crown-like headpiece sits on a raised platform with a fire and a bell-shaped stand. A large ornate silver vessel with relief figures stands in the foreground beside a row of small brass lamps and a bowl of offerings.

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A ritual gathering in an open-sided hall with red walls and a striped cloth floor. A seated man in rust-red robes, a crown-like headband and a rudraksha mala sits on a raised platform at right, beside a silver-engraved vessel and a gold-rimmed square fire pit holding ash and burning material. Near him, a bare-chested man in a red-orange cloth sits with a shaved head and mala. Dozens of seated devotees in saffron and orange robes and turbans face the platform, and a row of small brass vessels and oil lamps lies in front. Several figures stand in white and orange in the background. A video camera on a tripod records the proceedings, and trays of herbs and bowls of offerings sit on the floor. The scene reads as a homa/yagna-style ritual with aushada preparation.2017-08-31August 31 20172017-08-31A photograph of an outdoor Siddha-style ritual at an ashram courtyard. A bare-chested man in a rust-orange dhoti bends over a square stone-framed pit, placing items into it, while a bowl of offerings sits at the edge. On the right, a seated man wearing a white-and-gold headpiece, an orange cloth and beaded necklaces watches beside a small fire burning on a raised platform. Behind them, rows of seated devotees in orange and red attire and orange turbans face the scene on striped mats. A man in white stands at the back, a camera operator films at left, and a silver ornamented vessel stands in the foreground beside lit oil lamps and a row of small figurines.2017-08-31Outdoor ritual homa at dusk beside a red-roofed building. A yellow-green rectangular fire pit with a large flame and smoke sits on a striped cloth. A bare-chested man in a saffron cloth and rudraksha garland sits at left, with an orange-clad assistant beside him. At right, a man with long hair and a white headband, wearing a dark red wrap and a bead garland, sits and holds a ritual implement over a brass tray. Rows of small clay lamps line the foreground, and a large engraved silver vessel stands at right. Several people in orange and red head cloths sit in the background. a person appearance is uncertain.2017-08-31Outdoor ritual scene in a courtyard beside red-roofed buildings and palm trees. A tall standing man in a rust-orange robe, a wrapped orange-brown head covering and beaded necklaces watches a rite. A kneeling man in orange and white gestures over a square yellow stone fire pit or vedi containing ash and offerings, with a silver vessel beside it. Behind them, a large group of young boys and men in orange garments and orange turbans stand with palms pressed together, with a few people in white. Silver ceremonial chairs, a silver pot and tubs of brass vessels, bundles of sticks and a plate of offerings sit on striped cloth, with a microphone stand visible on the right. Spiritual aushada preparation ritual.2017-08-31August 31 20172017-08-31August 31 20172017-08-31A photograph of an outdoor ritual at an ashram. In the foreground a rectangular yellow-green stepped fire pit (kund) burns with flames and rising smoke, with small brass bowls of offerings and a large ornate silver vessel with embossed figures at the right. Behind the fire, a bare-chested man with long hair and rudraksha malas sits cross-legged on a raised silver-edged seat, holding a ritual staff, with a silver figure beside him. Seated at left, several people wear saffron-orange garments and orange turbans, one playing a drum, while others in red and orange clothing sit on a striped cloth. A seated figure in dark red robes tends the fire. Red-walled buildings and palm trees form the background. Visible people number roughly 21-100 across the seated crowd.2017-08-31A photograph of a ritual gathering in an open courtyard with red walls. A man with a long, swept-back hair and a headband sits cross-legged at the right on a raised platform, wearing a rust-red shawl and multiple rudraksha malas, holding a small object and a stick. Seated before him on striped pink, purple and green cloths are rows of devotees in saffron and orange clothes and orange head wraps, with a few in white. Central to the frame is a rectangular golden-yellow wooden vessel filled with ash, with a small offering bowl and a silver urn with relief figures in the foreground. Heaps of dried sticks and a stone object sit nearby, and a video camera on a tripod is at the left. Orange-clad figures stand in the background among pillars, with an ash-smeared vessel and a fire-pit style setup.2017-08-31Night-time homa at an outdoor ashram setting. A square brick fire pit with a bright flame sits on a striped multicoloured cloth in the left foreground. Dozens of saffron-robed sannyasis, many wearing orange turbans, sit cross-legged in rows behind the fire. On the right, a seated man in red-orange robes, a patterned head wrap, a necklace and bangles sits on a silver-framed seat before a microphone, with brass pots, a kalasha-type vessel, a plate of offerings and a silver vahana figure in front of him. Several white-clad women stand at the back. a person is shown in ceremonial red robes, head wrap and bangles seated on a silver throne-like seat, leading the homa.2017-09-07 +1 copiesNight outdoor homa at a KAILASA ashram: a lit brick fire pit with tall orange flames sits at left, with ritual offerings and a brass vessel nearby. Behind it, about two dozen young ascetics in orange robes and orange head cloths sit cross-legged on striped mats. A shirtless man in an orange cloth stands holding a microphone, and a man in white dhoti with a sash stands beside him. At right, a seated man in orange robes with an ornate headdress and beaded necklaces leads the offerings beside a silver throne, brass lamps, kalasha-style pots and a silver bull figure. a person appears as the seated officiant in ornate headdress and beaded jewellery.2017-09-07 +1 copiesOutdoor ritual at an ashram courtyard during a fire ceremony. A bare-chested priest in a dark red-orange dhoti kneels at a stone yajna pit, tending a bright flame and pouring from a brass vessel into the square basin. Beside him, a priest in orange dhoti and orange head cloth holds a ceremonial implement, and a woman in a red-orange sari stands near a separate burning fire. Behind them, seated devotees in orange and white clothes watch, and a large silver-toned vessel stands in the foreground, with red-roofed buildings and palm trees beyond.2017-08-31