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A smoky fire ritual under a pandal decorated with hanging green leaf strands and bright lights. In the foreground, a man with long dark hair, wearing an orange-saffron cloth and a gold necklace with beaded garlands, tends a homa fire over a trench lined with marigold and pink flower petals. Beside him, a younger man in a white dhoti and orange shawl and a woman in an orange sari with white blouse stand near brass pots and kalashas. Banana leaves and tall sugarcane stalks frame the altar. Behind them, a large dark backdrop shows a faded portrait of a turbaned figure, and devotees in white and orange sit on the floor. A fan stands at the right edge.

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A photograph of a fire ritual inside a decorated pandal hung with green mango leaves and strings of marigolds, lit by white fluorescent tubes. Smoke drifts across a long wooden fire pit bordered with orange marigold garlands and pink flowers. A man in white clothes and an orange-saffron shawl pours or handles offerings, while a bare-chested man with long, swept-back hair wears orange cloth, gold-toned beaded necklaces and a rudraksha-style mala and holds a white cloth over the pit. Two other attendants in white and orange stand nearby, with a silver kalasha and brass vessels with flowers on the mat. A fan and a few seated devotees appear at the edges.2006-07-17July 17 20062006-07-17A fire ritual homa in a pandal lit by tube lights, with dense smoke rising across the scene. At the centre, a figure with long dark hair and a saffron-orange garment sits behind a fire pit, its surface strewn with orange marigold garlands and pink flowers. A large portrait of a man in a turban hangs in the background, and a shaved-headed man in white with an orange shawl sits near the pit. Other ritual participants in white and orange clothing sit around the altar, with brass vessels, a kalasha and banana-leaf or palm-leaf decorations beside them.2006-07-17July 17 20062006-07-17Night photograph of a large fire ritual with thick smoke rising over a homa pit lined with marigold garlands, pink flowers and banana-leaf platters of offerings. A man with long dark hair, bare-chested and wearing rudraksha beads and an orange shawl, sits with palms pressed together in prayer at the fire. Beside him a white-clad priest with an orange shawl and other devotees in orange and white attend the offerings. Brass vessels, kalasha-style pots, banana plants and hanging flower strings frame the scene, and a large portrait backdrop is visible in the upper right. Many seated devotees fill the hall behind, with a raised decorated seat at the rear. The scene is consistent with a yagna ritual.2006-07-17A photograph of a fire ritual in a hall, with thick white smoke drifting across the foreground. A young man with long dark hair and a garland of flowers, wearing an orange shawl over white clothes, sits cross-legged behind a low altar. Beside him, several men in white dhotis and orange shawls sit at the ritual setup, with green banana leaves and palm fronds standing tall at the right. Flower offerings, marigold garlands and trays of flower petals lie on the mat in front. Hanging strings of leaves and lights decorate the ceiling in the background. The scene reads as a homa or yagna in progress.2006-07-17Photograph of a fire ritual (homa/yagna) inside a hall lit by hanging tube lights, with smoke rising across the frame. A central figure with long dark hair wears an orange-saffron shawl over a garland-draped body and holds a flower garland, seated behind a low altar. Flanking him, other people in white clothing and orange shawls attend the offering; one person in orange sits to the right. Low wooden platforms are covered in orange marigold garlands and pink flowers, with a green palm-leaf stalk, a silver pot, a silver vessel and fruit-filled baskets. Floral rangoli-style garlands lie on woven mats in the foreground, and devotees sit in the background.2006-07-17A photograph of a fire ritual, a homa, inside a hall with hanging green leaves and strings of flowers. Smoke rises across a long fire pit lined with marigold garlands, pink flowers and banana-leaf offerings, with a silver kalasha pot at left. A man in white ritual cloth with an orange shawl sits at left. In the centre, a bare-chested man with long dark hair, orange shawl, gold necklace and rudraksha-style beads sits behind the fire pit, with a microphone clipped near his face. Other seated people in orange and white garments sit nearby, and a woman in an orange wrap is at right. Green mats and flower petals cover the floor.2006-07-17A night fire ritual (homa/yagna) in a hall decorated with banana stalks, hanging flower strands and tube lights. In the centre, a long-haired man in an orange saffron shawl and beaded necklaces sits behind a low wooden platform heaped with orange marigolds and pink flowers, with a metal bowl and smoke rising. A white-clad man in a saffron shawl sits beside him. At right, another orange-clad person in a saffron shawl and a woman in orange saris attend the offerings, and a microphone is in view. Many seated devotees in white and orange fill the background, and small oil lamps flicker on the floor. a person: the centre figure with long swept-back hair, orange robes and ornate beaded necklaces, seated as the officiant. Several other devotees in white and saffron attend the fire offerings.2006-07-17July 17 20062006-07-17Night-time fire ritual under a tented pavilion, with a smoky homa fire pit at the centre bordered by orange and pink flower garlands and green banana-leaf and sugarcane decorations. A man in white shirt and orange shawl stands at the left of the fire, another in white with an orange wrap tends the pit, and a figure with long dark hair and rudraksha malas wears orange robes and a gold necklace while seated near the fire. A younger man in white with an orange scarf sits at right beside brass pots. A large black backdrop behind them shows a painted or printed portrait of a turbaned figure with a shawl, and a hanging orange and red banner appears at the right edge. Bright tube lights hang overhead and a standing fan is at right. Several seated devotees in orange cloth are visible at the left and background.2006-07-17July 17 20062006-07-17