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A homa or yagna at an open-air ritual site: a large square fire pit with a brown interior, bordered by white and blue painted rims and marigold petals. Around it, priests and attendants in pink, maroon, orange and green dhotis and garments stand and sit, several wearing rudraksha malas and yellow and red ribbons. Brass plates, oil lamps, kalasha-style vessels and bowls of offerings sit on the ground. A standing figure in a maroon shawl and a figure with a red turban and white beard are visible among the group; no figure is clearly identifiable as a person from appearance. Dense smoke hangs in the tent-covered hall, and a row of seated devotees in white and green lines the background.

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January 13 20152015-01-13January 13 20152015-01-13A photograph of an outdoor homa or yagna under a large open tent. In the foreground a square fire pit with a brick-red interior is bordered with white and blue painted edges and yellow marigold garlands. Brass plates of offerings and brass oil lamps sit along its right side, with stacked firewood nearby. Behind it a group of men stand in ritual dress: several bare-chested in pink, yellow and maroon dhotis with rudraksha malas, and one in a deep red robe with a red turban and mala. A man in a white dhoti and shawl with a long white beard stands at the centre-right, and a few people in orange and green cloths sit on the ground. Smoke drifts across the tent, and spectators stand along a barrier at the back.2015-01-13A photograph of a homa fire ritual at an outdoor pavilion with smoky haze. A central figure with a long white beard, bare-chested, wears a white dhoti and rudraksha mala, with a tilak and forehead markings, and reaches toward a rectangular fire pit lined with white and blue painted borders and marigold petals. Around him stand men in saffron and orange robes and turbans, and seated priests in pink cloth and orange-red turbans sit near the pit with brass lamps. Standing figures in maroon, orange and pink clothing watch the rite, and a brass plate with offerings is held nearby.2015-01-13January 13 20152015-01-13A photograph of a fire ritual at a large rectangular homa pit lined with white and blue-painted edges, with smoke rising and marigold flowers placed around the rim. A bearded man with white-smeared forehead and a bare chest, wearing a white dhoti and a rudraksha mala, extends his hand over the pit. Behind him, several men in saffron and orange robes stand, one holding a brass plate of offerings. Men in pink dhotis and orange turbans sit on the ground near the pit, and others in red and orange garments stand in the hazy background. No clear a person appearance cue is confirmed, so the figures are described by role only.2015-01-13January 12 20152015-01-12January 13 20152015-01-13A photograph of a homa or yagna at a fire pit lined with white ash and marigold garlands. A bare-chested bearded priest with a grey beard, rudraksha mala and gold pendant stands at the pit, holding a brass plate of offerings. Nearby, men in saffron and orange robes and turbans pour grains and offerings into the fire from brass vessels, while others raise their hands in prayer. A man in a yellow shawl and a red-turbaned figure stand among the assembly under a white tent. Smoke and sparks rise from the pit, and a golden ceremonial ladle is held aloft at the right edge.2015-01-13January 13 20152015-01-13A photograph of a large square fire pit, a homa or yagna, filled with smoke and a visible flame at its base, with a white-and-blue edged border decorated with yellow flowers. Around it stand a crowd of devotees in ritual dress: a man in a yellow dhoti and striped headcloth at left, bare-chested men in pink and striped dhotis with rudraksha necklaces, several men in saffron-orange robes, and an elderly bearded man in white with a rudraksha mala. At right, a man in a yellow-and-red headcloth and yellow flower garland pours offerings with a ladle, while a man in saffron robes holds a silver plate. A tent canopy is overhead and other people raise their hands behind the group.2015-01-13January 13 20152015-01-13