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Night outdoor ritual at a yellow-framed fire pit (homa/yagna) with large flames rising. A man in a rust-red dhoti and shawl, wearing a white and red garland and a red-marked forehead, stands barefoot before the fire with his hands near a brass vessel. Beside him a woman in an orange sari holds a plate. Behind, a crowd of devotees in white and red clothing stands with palms pressed together. A tiger-skin-draped seat with a silver-framed backrest and brass legs sits to the right, with brass lamps and vessels on a red carpet. Some ornate silver panels and a tall lamp stand appear in the background. The man's identity is not established from appearance cues here, so he is described by role.

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October 27 20142014-10-27October 27 20142014-10-27October 27 20142014-10-27October 27 20142014-10-27Night-time homa at an open ritual space. A yellow-painted rectangular fire pit with bright flames and smoke stands in the foreground, with brass vessels and small oil lamps nearby on red rugs. On a silver-backed seat at right, a man with bare upper body, a white flower garland, and saffron-maroon cloth sits in front of the fire. Beside him a priest in saffron-maroon cloth bends forward, tending the offerings. Standing at left, several men in maroon cloth with rudraksha malas and white forehead markings watch the fire, and devotees in white clothes stand behind. A tall figure appears in the smoky background.2014-10-27Night fire ritual outdoors: a long-haired man in orange-saffron dhoti and shawl with rudraksha/gold necklaces stands at left holding a tray with a folded cloth, facing a square homa fire pit lined with white and filled with burning embers. Around the pit, a row of about six shaved-headed priests in saffron robes and beaded malas kneel and make offerings, while a woman in red sari with a gold necklace kneels at left with a brass vessel. Behind, a gold-framed deity murti with a golden backdrop and a lit oil lamp stands, and a crowd of devotees in saffron and white watches from the background under string lights.2013-03-10Night-time homa at an outdoor ritual site with a large fire pit in the foreground, flames rising from a stone fire altar decorated with red flower petals and surrounded by brass offering trays. Two priests stand behind it: the left man in orange dhoti and orange shawl with a long garland of orange flowers, hands folded in namaste; the middle shaved-headed man in orange robe with rudraksha mala, holding a brass ritual vessel. On the right, a woman in white sari with a red-and-orange head wrap pours liquid from a vessel toward the fire. Behind them a seated audience of devotees in white clothes and pink tops sits on striped mats, and an empty red-and-gold ornate throne chair stands at the left.2013-07-04October 02 20142014-10-02Night-time homa at an outdoor ashram, with a large flaming fire pit built into a gold-coloured square platform in the foreground. Many devotees sit in rows behind it, most in saffron and orange robes with rudraksha malas, while others wear white. On the right a woman in a red sari with white flower garlands sits on a silver-framed chair, holding a tray of offerings near the fire. Brass pots and oil lamps sit on red rugs. A stone deity murti stands at centre-back beside a tall column, and an ornate ceremonial chair appears at top right. The crowd is large but partly obscured by darkness.2014-10-27Night fire ritual, a homa in an open-air hall. A large fire burns in a gold-edged rectangular fire pit with white ash and offerings. A bearded man on the right, bare-chested with white markings on his chest and a pink-red dhoti, holds a ladle and stands at the fire. Seated on a gold-framed throne at the left, a figure in a deep red-maroon shawl and a garland of red and yellow flowers watches the ritual. Brass bowls, flower petals and kumkum-coloured plates surround the fire. Dozens of seated devotees in white and orange-red garments fill the background, and a ceremonial brass pillar stands behind the fire.2016-04-03Night ritual homa at an open-air ashram courtyard. A fire blazes in a rectangular fire pit in the foreground, surrounded by white flower petals and brass vessels. A man on the left in white dhoti and a pale yellow turban stands with one arm outstretched, bare-chested with gold bangles. Beside him, a bald priest in a white dhoti with a maroon border and a rudraksha-style bead necklace holds a ritual object over the flames. A third white-clad priest kneels near a carved wooden seat, and a seated man in the lower left presses his palms together. Dozens of seated devotees in white clothes, some with yellow shawls, watch from behind. Brass oil lamps, a kalasha-like vessel and a cloth-draped table of offerings sit at the right, with a decorated pillar and leaf garlands overhead.2010-10-16 +1 copiesOctober 08 20132013-10-08