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A night-time temple ritual under a white canopy with hanging lamps. Three priests in white dhotis stand on a tiered golden platform; one in an orange-yellow shawl holds a brass plate and another plays a small bell-like instrument while smoke rises behind them. Before them stands a decorated palanquin-like structure garlanded with flowers in red, orange and white, flanked by brass kalasha-style lamps. On the right, a deity murti in a glittering shrine is adorned with garlands. A red carpet and scattered petals cover the floor, and a clock reads 11:13.

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December 07 20162016-12-07December 07 20162016-12-07December 07 20162016-12-07December 07 20162016-12-07December 07 20162016-12-07Night-time homa at a temple-like pavilion with a tiered wooden fire altar (homa kunda) on a red cloth. Smoke rises from burning logs at the centre. Four men in white dhotis with saffron-orange shawls stand at the altar, one holding a plate and another a white cloth. Two bare-chested men seated on the left, one with a long beard and rudraksha-style beads, offer items; a plate of fruit and sweets sits in front. Behind, a decorated chariot or palanquin is garlanded with red and white flowers, and a gilded deity murti with a garland stands at right. Hanging paper decorations and a red-carpeted hall fill the background, with many seated devotees behind.2016-12-07Night photo of a homa fire ritual in an open-sided pavilion with a red floor. A priest in white dhoti with an orange-yellow shawl pours offerings from a silver plate into a square wooden fire pit with flames. Beside him a bare-chested priest with an orange turban holds a sacred item, and a third priest in white stands with hands folded. A sprawling deity murti stands in an ornate shrine with garlands and a kalasha, and strings of orange lanterns hang overhead. Seated devotees on the left chant with bells and cymbals, and fruits and offerings sit on plates in the foreground.2016-12-07December 07 20162016-12-07December 07 20162016-12-07Night ritual at a covered temple-style hall: a fire pit with flames at centre foreground, with several priests in white dhotis, one bare-chested priest holding a tray of offerings aloft and another raising a ceremonial lamp. A decorated deity murti sits on a flower-garlanded palanquin at right, with hanging red and white tassels and small lamps overhead. Seated musicians or chanters at left, some with bare chests, and a crowd of devotees with raised hands fills the background. Red carpeting, flower petals on the floor and a fire-pit homa are visible. No one is clearly identifiable as a person from appearance.2016-12-07A night fire ritual at an open-sided temple hall. In the centre, a square wooden homa fire pit with bright flames and offerings is tended by priests. A bare-chested priest in an orange-saffron waist cloth raises a ritual implement toward the fire, while a priest in white dhoti with an orange turban and another in white dhoti and saffron shawl stand beside a silver tray of offerings. On the left, seated men in white dhotis play a musical instrument and sit with folded hands among devotees. On the right, a deity murti stands in a shrine decorated with fresh garlands, and a decorated kalasha with marigold garlands sits near brass lamps. Coloured cloth tassels and string lights hang from the roof, and a digital clock on the wall reads 11:33.2016-12-07December 07 20162016-12-07