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A shaved-headed priest in a white dhoti and shawl sits cross-legged beside a stone fire pit, performing a homa with a ladle over the flames at dusk. A rudraksha mala hangs around his neck and he wears gold bangles. Behind him, a deity murti draped in red satin and heavily garlanded with red and yellow marigolds sits beneath a gilded arch with a green curtain. Oil lamps, incense smoke, a microphone stand, brass vessels and offering plates surround the scene, with leafy plants in the background.

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April 23 20122012-04-23April 23 20122012-04-23April 23 20122012-04-23April 23 20122012-04-23April 23 20122012-04-23April 23 20122012-04-23A photograph of a homa fire ritual at night. A shaved-headed young priest in white dhoti and shawl, with a rudraksha mala around his neck, kneels at a stepped white stone fire pit while flames rise high. He holds a ladle over the fire, and brass bowls and vessels sit on the ground to his left. Behind the fire, a deity murti is decorated with red and yellow marigold garlands and a red silk cloth, set within a gold arched frame against a green drape and foliage.2012-04-23April 23 20122012-04-23A shaven-headed priest in white dhoti and bare upper body stands at a stone fire pit, holding a small oil lamp over a metal vessel and waving it in front of a deity murti. The murti is adorned with red and yellow marigold garlands and a white flower garland, seated before a green cloth backdrop framed by an ornate gold arch. Smoke rises from the lamp, and a microphone is clipped near the priest's mouth. Brass vessels, bowls and offerings sit on the platform, with potted plants and foliage behind. The scene suggests an evening aarti at a temple shrine.2012-04-23April 23 20122012-04-23A photograph of a shaved-headed priest in a white dhoti and white upper cloth performing an aarti or arati before a deity murti decorated with red roses, yellow marigolds and green leaves. He holds a brass lamp with a bright flame and rising smoke in his right hand, with a microphone clipped nearby. A small brass vessel sits at the lower left of the stone platform. Gold and red drapery frames the shrine, and the background is softly blurred with warm light.2012-04-23A photograph of a priest seated cross-legged on the floor beside a white-tiled square homa/yagna fire pit, a small microphone on a stand before him. He is bald-headed and wears an unstitched white dhoti-style cloth with red-and-white striped border, a rudraksha mala around his neck, and a bare upper body. Small brass vessels, a spoon and a red-and-green bundle sit near the pit. Behind him, a deity murti is decorated with red and yellow marigold garlands and a white flower garland, with a green draped backdrop. A potted-plant garden and a reddish shipping container are visible in the background, and an out-of-focus red-clad figure occupies the right edge.2012-04-23