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Night-time homa at an open-air fire pit with a low brick-edged rectangular kund. A figure on the left wears a rust-red and gold-bordered dhoti with a white-and-red flower garland and is joined palms in namaste. Three young men in white dhotis with gold borders stand in a row, hands folded, wearing rudraksha malas. On the right, a man in an orange dhoti and red turban holds a white cloth over a silver tray of white and red flowers, pouring offerings toward the fire. Seated devotees in white fill the background, with smoke hanging in the dark air.

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August 29 20142014-08-29Night outdoor homa at a square fire pit lined with yellow stone, with flames rising at the base. A shaved-headed young priest in saffron-orange dhoti and shawl with a white tilak and sacred thread holds up a long strand of flame-yellow cloth above the fire, while a second priest in similar saffron-orange clothing and a bare-chested cord-adorned figure nearby assist with offerings. On the left, a standing man wears a long white-and-marigold garland and a maroon-and-gold dhoti, hands folded in anjali. Behind them, a row of men in white dhotis with gold borders stand with palms pressed together, and a seated audience in white and red clothing watches. Brass bowls of offerings, kumkum, flowers and a decorated kalasha sit at the fire's edge.2014-08-29Night outdoor fire ritual at a square homa pit lined with brick and a yellow-stained border. On the right, a bare-chested priest with a shaved head, white tilak marks on his forehead and arms, and a rudraksha mala wears an orange and gold shawl and raises a long yellow cloth over the pit. Beside him, another priest in orange and red holds a brass plate with white and red flower garlands. On the left, a man in a red-and-gold dhoti with a white and red flower garland stands with palms joined. Three young men in white dhotis with gold borders and rudraksha malas stand with hands folded in namaskar. Seated devotees in white and red fill the background, and a small lit oil lamp sits on the pit's edge.2014-08-29Night photograph of a homa fire ritual in an open courtyard. A square brick fire pit with a lit flame sits on a white-cloth platform strewn with flower petals. A man in a white dhoti with a yellow-orange head wrap stands at the pit pouring an offering, while a shaved-headed priest in white dhoti with red borders and a gold-bead garland holds a brass plate. Another attendant in white with a garland stands at right beside a carved wooden stand, and ceremonial lamps and brass vessels sit at the front. Seated devotees in white and colourful clothing watch from the left under a leafy garland-decorated canopy, with a large red flower garland visible at lower right.2010-10-16 +1 copiesA homa fire ceremony at night, with a yellow-bordered fire pit blazing in the foreground. A priest in white dhoti and a cream turban, with rudraksha malas and a gold-bordered cloth, feeds an orange cloth into the flames from a plate. Behind him, a man in orange robes holds a tray of offerings, and a man in brown-orange robes stands at left holding a garland of yellow and red flowers. A bald man in orange at right holds his hands together in namaskar. A silver vessel and a small brass lamp sit near the fire.2013-11-07October 16 20102010-10-16 +1 copiesOctober 16 20102010-10-16 +1 copiesNight fire ritual at an outdoor homa or yagna pit, lit by the flames. A man in white dhoti and a cream turban holds a burning camphor flame aloft with a lamp-like vessel, and wears a long rudraksha-style mala with a gold necklace. Beside him a bald assistant in white holds a silver bowl, and another man in white sits behind a copper-coloured peetha or throne-like backrest with hands folded. Marigold petals are scattered on stone steps around the fire pit, and a seated figure in the foreground shows only the back of his head and shoulders. Other men in white stand with palms joined in namaskar, and seated children and adults watch from the left. Festoons of leaves and a decorated pillar hang overhead.2010-10-16October 11 20142014-10-11Night photograph of a homa at an outdoor fire pit in an ashram courtyard. A square stone fire pit with a bright yellow-orange blaze sits on a tiered white base strewn with marigold and red flower petals. Three men in white dhotis and white shawls stand around it: a woman in a white sari with a yellow-orange head wrap and gold jewellery leans over the pit pouring from a vessel; a bald man in white with a gold necklace and red-and-white cloth holds a brass tray of red flowers; a third man with gold necklaces tends the flame. A large carved wooden drum-shaped vessel stands beside the pit. Seated devotees and children watch from the left, and a woman in white stands at right. A kalasha-style brass lamp and a red-and-white flower garland lie at the edge, with a leafy garland hung overhead.2010-10-16 +1 copiesOctober 16 20102010-10-16Outdoor evening ritual with smoke rising at right. A man at left in a rust-red dhoti with gold-bordered cloth and a thick white and red flower garland with gold necklaces stands with palms pressed together in namaste. Behind him, a monk in orange wraps holds a tray with flowers. Three men in white dhotis with gold borders, rudraksha malas and armbands stand at right with hands folded; the one at centre holds a microphone. Seated devotees in white and saffron fill the background, and an orange cushioned seat sits at left.2014-08-29