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Night outdoor puja at a Navaratri Chandi Homa. On the left, a large illuminated Durga murti with multiple arms and red-and-gold attire stands under a red decorative umbrella, with a fire pit of bricks in front blazing with flames. On the right, a life-size printed portrait of a bearded man in an orange turban and garlands sits on a gold-framed seat under a second red umbrella, presented as a depiction rather than a physical person. A woman in an orange sari stands beside it, holding a tray. The purple cloth is scattered with marigold petals and flower offerings, and cattle are faintly visible in the background.

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October 10 20212021-10-10A night photograph inside a large hall with a corrugated metal roof and bright work lights. On the left stands a colourful murti of a multi-armed goddess with a red-and-gold halo and a decorated canopy, seated on a lion-like mount; she is deity murti of a Devi form. In the centre a square wooden homa fire pit burns brightly with orange flames and smoke, surrounded by green leaves, flower petals, small offering bowls and cone-shaped clay forms. A standing person in dark red clothing and head covering, seen from the side, leans over the fire, apparently performing a homa. Behind them, other decorated altars, garlanded umbrellas and flower-hung canopies are visible.2021-10-08Night photograph of a Chandi Homa fire ritual in an open-sided shed with a corrugated roof. A sadhu in orange robes and a wrapped orange head covering holds a flaming brass tray toward a brick fire pit where a fire burns with offerings. Behind them stands a large deity murti of Durga-style form with many arms, framed by a semicircular ring of marigold garlands, flanked by two gold trishul staffs and red-and-gold parasols. On the right sits a seated statue dressed in orange with an orange turban and marigold garlands, on a gold-framed seat. Purple cloths and marigold petals cover the floor.2021-10-11October 09 20212021-10-09Night homa at an open-sided hall under a metal roof. A large fire burns in a square brick fire pit in the centre. On the left, an ornate decorated murti of a multi-armed goddess, deity murti, sits on a draped platform with a golden arched backdrop. Behind the fire, a seated figure in red and white garlands sits under a red umbrella canopy. At right, a standing person in red-orange cloth holds an offering and looks toward the fire, beside a brass lamp and a flower-garlanded altar. Green leaf plates with offerings are scattered on the floor. Chandi homa, puja setting.2021-10-08October 11 20212021-10-11October 08 20212021-10-08Night photograph inside a large open-sided hall with a steel truss roof. A priest in a dark red-brown robe stands at right, tilting a round brass vessel over a rectangular fire pit where a bright flame rises, as in a homa. To the left stands an ornate deity murti of a multi-armed goddess on a lion-like mount, decorated with gold and red garlands and a glittering halo, under a red and gold parasol. Behind the fire pit a seated figure in red garments with a garland and a parasol stands on a raised red platform. Small green-leaf offerings and brass items sit on the floor, and smoke drifts through the hall under bright floodlights.2021-10-08Night photo inside a large open-sided shed with a corrugated metal roof and bright lamps. In the foreground at left, a sannyasi in orange robes and an orange turban pours a liquid from a vessel into a brick-lined fire pit (homa) with visible flames. Behind the fire pit, a deity murti of many-armed Chandi Devi is adorned with a marigold garland and sits under a red-and-gold umbrella. At right, a large portrait cutout of a bearded man in an orange turban and marigold garlands sits on a throne-like seat under a red umbrella, with a brass tray of flower petals in front. Brass trident-topped stands flank the deity. A white cow stands in the background.2021-10-11October 08 20212021-10-08October 08 20212021-10-08October 08 20212021-10-08