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A photograph of a priest in white ritual dhoti and shawl with gold trim sitting cross-legged beside a fire pit with rising smoke, holding a brass lamp stand with a wick toward a yellow flame. Behind him, a shrine with brass pots, garlands of yellow and red flowers, and a deity murti draped in blue and yellow cloth. Potted plants stand on red-and-white steps. A silver bowl and a small oil lamp sit in the foreground. No a person candidate is visibly present.

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October 27 20112011-10-27October 27 20112011-10-27A photograph of a shaved-headed priest in white dhoti with a golden-yellow border, sitting cross-legged and waving a whisk of grass over a brass lamp with a lit flame. He wears a tilak on his forehead, gold bangles and a gold waist cord. Before him sits a silver bowl with a ladle. Behind the lamp stand three brass kalashas wrapped in flower garlands and mango leaves, and a deity murti adorned with orange and white flowers sits within an altar draped in a red cloth. A green wall and terracotta pots line the background.2011-10-29A priest in white ceremonial dhoti and shawl with a yellow border, wearing a gold-beaded necklace and a white vibhuti forehead mark, sits beside a smoking fire pit (homa kunda) and gestures over it with one hand while holding a small paper. In front of him are silver bowls of red and green offerings, a silver bowl of rice or grain, a silver lamp, a kalasha and a red flower garland. Behind the fire pit, a deity shrine area with a wooden carved backrest and potted plants is visible. No a person candidate is clearly identifiable by appearance; he is a priest performing a homa.2011-10-29A young man with short hair, bare-chested and wearing a white dhoti with gold border and a white shawl over his shoulder, kneels at a black stone fire pit beside a deity murti. He holds a ladle and pours or tends a flame and smoke rising from the pit. Silver bowls, brass kalasha pots, yellow and red flower garlands, a brass oil lamp and fruit offerings surround the pit. Potted plants and a red-and-white striped wall are behind him, and a blue-skinned deity with a yellow garment and flower garland stands at right. This appears to be a homa or puja at a temple shrine. One person is visible.2011-10-27A photograph of a shaved-headed priest in white dhoti and shawl with gold borders and gold necklaces sits outdoors at a stone platform, holding a lit lamp aloft in one hand toward a brass oil lamp with a flame on a tall stand. Behind him are potted plants, red-and-white striped painted walls, a blue plastic bag, and a brass vessel of offerings. A deity murti stands to the right, and marigold garlands and yellow flowers decorate the altar, indicating an aarti or puja. Another figure is partially visible in the background on a pedestal. The scene is a temple courtyard ritual.2011-10-27A photograph of a homa or yagna at a shrine. A priest in white dhoti and shawl with a gold necklace and a white tilak on his forehead kneels before a dark rectangular fire pit with his right hand extended over it, smoke rising around him. A brass oil lamp with a flame sits on the pit's edge, beside a silver bowl with offerings and a small book in his left hand. Behind, a deity murti is decorated with white jasmine garlands before a red and gold cloth, with brass kalashas and potted plants along a red and white wall.2011-10-29October 29 20112011-10-29A seated priest in white ritual dhoti and shawl, wearing a heavy gold necklace, rings bells with a handheld brass bell while holding a small book and a brass vessel during a homa. A lit fire burns in a brick-lined fire pit with yellow flower petals on the bricks. Nearby are brass pots, a kalasha-style vessel, potted plants, offering plates, a brass lamp and a microphone on a stand, with an orange cloth canopy behind. Setting appears to be an outdoor ritual space.2011-12-28A photo of a homa ritual at an ashram temple. A shaved-headed priest in white dhoti and shawl with gold-coloured sacred thread sits on the floor, holding a silver ladle over a silver bowl and pouring offering into a fire pit that burns at the right. Behind him stands a golden lion-shaped vahana beside a deity murti draped in garlands of white and orange flowers with green leaves, and pots of plants line the steps. Silver vessels, a open book, a silver bowl of yellow offerings and a plate of nuts lie on the floor in front. No visible candidate for a person is present.2011-12-31A shaved-headed priest in white dhoti with a saffron-gold border sits cross-legged, holding incense sticks over a flame in a brass oil lamp on a stand. Gold ornaments and a gold chain are visible on his neck, and metal bangles and a beaded bracelet on his wrist. Before him stands a silver bowl with a silver ladle holding cooked grain or prasadam. Behind him brass kalashas and vessels sit beside a garland of white flowers, and a yellow and red cloth drapes a deity altar. Potted plants and a red-and-white striped wall form the background.2011-10-29A shaved-headed priest in white dhoti and shawl sits cross-legged beside a fire pit, holding a handheld bell and a lit oil lamp on a long silver-stand. He wears a heavy gold necklace with a pendant and a bangle on his wrist, with a white vertical forehead mark. Brass bowls with yellow flower petals and a bundle of dried sticks sit on a stone ledge in front of him, with smoke rising from the fire. Behind him, a red and white striped wall and green plants frame the outdoor ritual, while seated men in the background watch.2011-12-17