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A photograph of a large burning fire pit on a low stone platform, with bright flames and rising white smoke rising from piled cowdung cakes. Behind the fire, a bare-chested man in a rust-orange cloth sits cross-legged, wearing a white headband and a patterned armband, with a smoke-filled backdrop. To the left, a standing figure in orange robes, a pink headcloth and beaded necklaces holds a cloth. Brass vessels and a silver lamp stand nearby, and two women in teal and blue saris stand at the right edge. The scene shows a smoke purification rite with burning cowdung.

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A large fire burns on a low stone platform, with cow dung cakes stacked and smoke rising thickly. On the left, a young man in orange robes and an orange head wrap, with multiple strands of beads around his neck, stands near the fire. Behind the flames, a bare-chested man with a light headscarf and a red-brown cloth around his waist sits at the fire and tends it with his hands. A woman in a teal sari stands in the background beside a microphone and a lamp stand. On the right, a metal vessel and a silver plate with a lit oil lamp sit beside the fire. The scene shows a homa or yagna rite in progress.2017-08-31A photograph of a large open fire burning on a low stone platform, with thick white smoke rising from cow dung cakes being purified in a Siddha ritual. On the left, a bare-chested young man in an orange dhoti and orange cloth over one shoulder wears layered beaded necklaces and stands near the flames. On the right, a seated man wears a maroon garment, a white turban-like headwrap, a gold chain and armbands, and tends the smoke with his hands. Behind him a woman in a teal sari stands beside a silver-rimmed lamp stand. A brass vessel and a silver bowl sit at the edges of the frame.2017-08-31August 08 20172017-08-08 +1 copiesNovember 18 20152015-11-18Photo 11701593A photograph of a ritual scene with a large plume of white smoke rising from a rectangular stone-and-wood platform covered with white powder and scattered red petals. Dark stones or cowdung cakes sit in the smoking pit, with string tied across the platform. Two polished silver oil lamps with lit flames stand in the foreground, and a gold-and-orange cloth bundle with green leaves lies at the left edge. A person in orange robes with long dark hair and a beaded mala kneels at the upper left beside the platform, with other figures in orange clothing visible behind the smoke. The setting appears to be a Siddha purification process where herbs or medicine are exposed to smoke.2017-08-31August 31 20172017-08-31A homa fire ceremony inside a pavilion with a red and white draped ceiling. Tall flames rise from a yellow-painted fire pit edged with white lines. Two young priests in saffron-orange dhotis and matching turbans sit at left; one feeds bundled sticks and the other pours from a bowl. A bare-chested figure in a grey-white ash-smeared appearance stands behind the flames with an orange turban, with flame glow around him. Behind them, several bare-chested men in white dhotis stand in the background, with a deity murti visible near the back, and a speaker stand at right. Brass bowls, a kalasha and oil lamps sit on the fire platform.2017-09-24 +1 copiesA large fire blazes on a wooden platform in the foreground, with tall orange flames and rising smoke rising from a heap of dark cowdung cakes. In the background at right, a bare-chested man in a maroon cloth wraps a shawl over his shoulders and sits with hands near a brass vessel, appearing to be a priest or ritual participant. Several people sit blurred in the dim left background, some in red and white clothing. Brass plates and bowls lie on the floor and a silver vessel sits at right. A woven red and blue cloth lies at lower left.2017-08-31A seated man in an orange-red robe with a dark head wrap and a rudraksha mala holds a small vessel at a fire pit with bright flames, a yellow-brick homa altar in the foreground. Around him are brass bowls, mortars, pestles, wicker baskets, small bottles and offerings on a colourful striped cloth. Behind him stand a trident, a large golden decorative backdrop and an ornate silver ritual object, with warm evening lighting. a person is shown in appearance-based cues of orange clothing, rudraksha beads and an elaborate head wrap, performing a homa fire ritual.2017-12-10September 17 20172017-09-17 +1 copiesA fire ritual at night: a tall flame rises from a wood fire pit (homa) on a wooden platform with a yellow edge and dry straw at its base. A young man in a white dhoti-style cloth and a beige turban holds a stick toward the fire, wearing a long rudraksha mala and bangles. Beside him, a second person in an orange-saffron garment with a rudraksha mala looks toward the flames, and another figure stands behind the fire in the smoke. The background is dark and smoky.2013-10-15