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Night-time photograph of a Navaratri puja at a temple-like hall. A large white and yellow-garlanded deity murti of a goddess with many arms stands on the right, draped in marigold garlands, with a lion mount beside her. In the centre a small fire burns in a square yellow-painted homa pit with brass pots and offerings nearby. A priest in a white dhoti and white shawl stands behind the fire with a red flower in his hair. To the left, a man bare-chested with rudraksha-style neck garland holds a tray of red flowers while another assistant in a dark dhoti stands beside him. A decorated garland hangs from the ceiling at upper left, and a red cloth covers a platform in the foreground.

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October 02 20142014-10-02Night photograph of a homa at an outdoor shrine. A fire burns in a raised wooden fire pit with smoke rising, while several men stand behind it in traditional attire. One stands at left in a red-and-gold dhoti with a garland, another holds a red-and-white cloth at centre, and a third in white stands near the fire. A seated figure in white clothes with a gold border is seen from behind at lower right before a large deity murti of Goddess Durga in white and red adornment with yellow marigold garlands, flanked by smaller figures. Brass vessels, red flower offerings, and lit oil lamps sit on a striped cloth in the foreground. A thatched roof with leaf garland hangs overhead. No identifiable a person figure is visible.2014-10-02Night photograph of a temple ritual beside a lit fire pit. Several men stand near a flaming homa or yagna fire on a raised stone platform covered by a striped cloth. The central man wears a white dhoti and holds his hands together in prayer, while a man in a red-and-orange cloth and rudraksha garland holds a plate at left. Behind the fire stands a dark deity murti decorated with orange garlands, and at right a large white-and-gold decorated deity image with multiple figures and marigold garlands is set on a red-covered platform. Offerings of dried red flowers or kumkum sit on the cloth, and a man in white kneels at the far right. Leafy festoons hang overhead beneath a corrugated roof.2014-10-02A night-time homa at an outdoor shrine beneath a thatched canopy strung with leaves. A bright fire burns in a yellow-tiled fire pit at centre. A man in a white dhoti and white shirt with a red-and-saffron cloth on his head stands to the left, while a man in a red and gold dhoti with a garland stands nearby, holding an offering dish. A woman in a white sari with gold border sits in the foreground, facing a decorated deity murti set on a red-draped platform, with white-clad figures garlanded in marigolds. Brass vessels, red chillies, open books and oil lamps sit on a striped cloth. No a person candidate is clearly visible among the people.2014-10-02A night-time homa at a temporary open pavilion. A fire burns in a wooden-framed fire pit with smoke rising, and dried red flower offerings are set on trays nearby. Three men stand behind the fire: one in a red-and-gold dhoti with a garland holds a tray, another in a light dhoti holds his hands in anjali, and a third wears a red head cloth and white dhoti, hands folded. In the foreground a figure in white with a gold border sits with their back to the camera before a richly decorated white deity murti adorned with marigold garlands, a lion vahana and a pink-draped altar. Oil lamps and brass vessels are on the altar table, and a striped cloth covers the ground.2014-10-02October 02 20142014-10-02A night-time homa at an open-sided pavilion. A small fire burns in a rectangular fire pit at centre, with brass vessels and red kumkum offerings in front. Three priests stand at the left with hands folded in namaskar: a woman in a red and gold sari with a garland, a shirtless young man in white dhoti, and a man with a red turban and white dhoti. At the right, a seated devotee in white with a gold border performs puja before a white-draped, flower-garlanded deity murti flanked by smaller murtis. Strings of leaves hang overhead. A patterned rug covers the floor, and a colourful striped mat lies under the pit.2014-10-02October 02 20142014-10-02October 02 20142014-10-02October 02 20142014-10-02Night-time puja before a large white-and-gold murti of goddess Durga with multiple arms, seated on a lion/tiger mount, adorned with yellow marigold garlands and a red cloth-draped platform. Two priests in white dhoti and shawls attend the altar: one standing at left, and one seated bare-chested in a reddish-orange cloth, facing the deity with an oil lamp burning on the stone platform. Brass vessels, flowers, and a small lamp sit at the front. A framed portrait of a figure in orange hangs at far left. The priests appear to be conducting an aarti or puja.2014-10-02October 02 20142014-10-02