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Night outdoor ritual by a fire pit lined with bricks and ringed with marigold petals. A bare-chested priest in an orange dhoti and pink shawl pours liquid from a vessel into the flames. Seated to the right on a brown leather armchair, a man in red-and-maroon robes with a dark cap and beaded necklaces watches with hands folded; he may be the a person candidate, with his distinctive ceremonial adornments visible but uncertain. Behind them, a seated audience in white and light clothing observes, and a few standing figures in the background.

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December 11 20152015-12-11Night outdoor fire ritual on grass. A shirtless man in an orange and pink dhoti and a red flower garland pours liquid from a metal pot over a flaming fire pit lined with red bricks and marigold garlands. Behind him, a crowd of seated and standing people in white and light clothing watches. On the right, a seated man in a red-maroon shawl with a rudraksha-style necklace, hair swept up, sits in a brown leather chair near the fire, hands folded in his lap. Orange flower petals lie on the ground. A small hand-held brass vessel sits near the fire.2015-12-11December 11 20152015-12-11Night photo of an outdoor fire ritual on grass. A bare-chested priest in an orange dhoti with a pink cloth over his shoulder pours liquid from a brass vessel onto a flaming fire pit lined with bricks and decorated with marigold garlands. Behind him a seated man in a red-orange robe with a shawl and beaded necklaces sits in a red-cushioned chair, with a long dark swept-back hairstyle and a crown-like headdress, appearance. Around the fire, a crowd of about twenty seated and standing participants in white and orange clothes watches, and a man with palms pressed together stands at the left. Marigold petals lie on the ground.2015-12-11Night outdoor ritual at a brick fire pit (homa/yagna) on grass. In the foreground a bare-backed man in an orange-yellow dhoti and pink upper cloth, with a rudraksha-style garland, holds up a ceremonial vessel and a flaming offering toward the fire. Behind the fire, seated on a dark wooden throne-like chair, a man in red robes with a red head covering or crown-like headwear and gold necklaces sits with hands folded. Marigold petals and garlands decorate the fire pit edges. Around them a crowd of about 15 seated and standing devotees, many in white or light clothing, watches; a standing man in red at far left holds his hands together. A seated figure in red robes with gold ornaments is described only by role, as a seated ritual participant, with identity left unsure.2015-12-11Night outdoor ritual photo. In the foreground, a figure seen from behind, bare-backed with a pink waist cloth and orange dhoti, wears a red and white flower necklace and stands before a fire pit. The fire pit is built of bricks with flames, smoke and marigold garlands. Beyond it, a seated man on a red-brown chair wears a red-orange shawl, gold necklace, rudraksha mala and a dark topknot, with hands folded in his lap. Behind him, a seated audience in white and orange clothing watches, some with hands joined. A white electric fan and white plastic chair are visible at left. Marigold petals are scattered on the grass.2015-12-11Night outdoor fire ritual, a homa or yagna, on grass. A brick fire pit with burning flames sits at the center, decorated with yellow and orange marigold garlands and scattered petals. A standing fan stands behind the fire. In the foreground at left, a bare-backed man in an orange dhoti with a pink sash and red beaded necklace faces the fire. Behind them, about a dozen seated devotees in white clothes and red beads watch quietly in the dark.2015-12-11December 11 20152015-12-11December 11 20152015-12-11December 09 20132013-12-09Night outdoor ritual on grass beside a brick fire pit (homa) with flames, smoke and marigold garlands. In the foreground a man in an orange dhoti with a pink upper cloth bends over the fire, pouring offerings. At left a man in white dhoti sits with a small brass lamp. Behind them a line of seated devotees in white and cream clothes with red-and-white beaded necklaces watch. On the right a man in a dark cap and red-brown robe sits with hands in anjali mudra before a red leather chair. A standing man in an orange robe stands at top left. A white fan stands on a pole behind the fire.2015-12-11August 01 20142014-08-01