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A ritual puja in progress in a hall with a white floor and red curtains. A young priest with bare chest, white dhoti with coloured border and an orange-yellow cloth at his waist leans over a wooden platform, placing offerings into a bowl. Beside him an older man in a pink cloth and white vibhuti marks on his forehead assists. Two seated priests in white dhotis with rudraksha malas chant into microphones. Before them are trays of flowers, bananas, coconuts, silver lamps and kalasha pots wrapped in pink cloth with garlands, plus bowls of kumkum and turmeric. A silver lamp stand stands at left, and a golden deity murti is visible at upper right.

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July 18 20132013-07-18July 18 20132013-07-18April 14 20182018-04-14A homa fire ritual inside a hall with a brick fire pit ringed by marigold and flower garlands, flames rising from logs on the bricks. A man bent forward over the fire pours or tends an offering with a ladle, wearing a red and gold shawl over bare shoulders and white dhoti with gold border. Standing behind him, bare-chested priests in white dhotis with gold borders and rudraksha or flower malas hold ritual items; one holds a bundle of grass. On the left, a seated man with long hair and flower garlands sits near a decorated heart-shaped frame of flowers, with brass vessels and kalasha pots on the red floor. A purple and gold ornate umbrella stands overhead, and banana plants flank the scene.2018-04-14November 01 20112011-11-01August 02 20172017-08-02A homa fire ritual inside a temple hall with a red-and-white striped mat. A priest in a bare upper body, purple and gold dhoti, pours liquid from a silver vessel onto a burning fire pit ringed with bricks wrapped in flower garlands, and marigold and flower garlands hang behind. Several men in yellow and white dhotis stand nearby, one holding a tray of fruit and another a tray of red flowers. Behind them, a decorated deity murti is adorned with garlands, and devotees with folded hands watch. Brass vessels and oil lamps sit around the pit, and colourful drapes and pillars frame the hall.2018-04-14 +1 copiesA photograph of a ritual preparation outside a temple-style building with dark wooden double doors and grey brick walls. A seated man bare-chested, wearing a yellow shawl, white dhoti and a rudraksha-style necklace, with white tilak marks on his forehead and arms, sits on a striped mat tying a white-and-blue ribbon among jasmine garlands and green leaves. Beside him a standing man in an orange-bordered white dhoti and orange shawl pours liquid from a brass vessel over a plate of yellow flowers and fruit. Two more shirtless men in white dhotis with orange borders stand behind, one with a white horizontal mark on his forehead. Brass lamps, a brass pot, bowls of fruit and marigolds are arranged on the mat, and a brass pot sits on a yellow-brick platform.2017-04-03Night outdoor ritual homa at a yellow-rimmed fire pit on a wooden platform under a striped canopy with colourful bunting. A standing man in orange dhoti and shawl with a long rudraksha mala holds a plate, while a kneeling man in orange robes with a rudraksha mala tends the fire pit. Men in white dhotis sit nearby, and a woman in a red sari sits behind a table. Brass pots, silver ritual objects, bananas, apples, grapes, plantains and a rudraksha-like bowl of dark beads lie on the platform. To the right, a deity murti is decorated with white jasmine garlands, gold ornaments and a golden crown, with lit oil lamps. A printed portrait is hung on a backdrop.2012-10-19A homa or yagna ritual on a raised platform. Two priests in white dhoti and an older man with white hair and vertical white tilak stand over a square fire pit of stacked bricks, one pouring an offering from a steel bowl. A second younger man in saffron-orange dhoti and a bare chest with a sacred thread leans forward beside them. Brass kalasha pots wrapped in red and pink fabric, coconuts, mango leaves, white jasmine garlands and yellow and red marigolds, small cones of grain and brass bowls of offerings fill the table. Behind them, devotees in white sit on red mats in a bright hall, and a man in white dhoti with a microphone sits at right.2013-07-18Photo 11734633A seated man with a white horizontal tilak on his forehead and a yellow shawl draped over his shoulder sits cross-legged on a striped mat before a stone doorway. He holds his hands together in a prayer gesture. A bare-chested priest in a white dhoti with an orange border bends forward at right, pouring liquid from a small brass vessel into a bowl. Behind them, two more men in white dhotis stand near a brick wall, one shirtless with a mala. Before the seated man lie flower garlands, banana leaves, a brass plate of yellow flower petals, a coconut, small brass lamps and offerings of fruit and turmeric. Several people are visible, and none is identified.2017-04-03