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A homa or yagna ritual in a hall with white-painted floor plates and four colourful umbrellas above deity murtis. A priest in orange and red robes with a garland sits on a mat before a white brick fire pit, speaking into a microphone. A younger assistant in white dhoti and orange shawl kneels beside him. Behind, drummers in white dhoti play drums, and offerings are laid out on brass trays: wood sticks, coconuts, bananas, oranges, apples, white flower heaps, grains and leaf cups. Brass pots and kalashas are arranged in a tiered pyramid in the background.

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A photograph of a Hindu homa or yagna ritual in an open-sided hall with a corrugated roof. Two seated officiants sit on mats: one in white dhoti with an orange shawl, and a woman in an orange sari with a flower garland holding a microphone. A square fire pit built of white bricks, decorated with flowers, sits in front of them. Around it lie trays of offerings: firewood, bundles of sticks, jasmine flowers, bananas, apples, oranges, coconuts, pomegranate, nuts, grains and small bowls. Behind them stand five deity murtis on raised platforms, each under a multicoloured umbrella and draped in garlands, with a pyramid of brass kalasha pots in front. Orange banners with a black circular emblem hang from the ceiling. On the right, a drummer in a white dhoti plays a drum while people in white stand and watch.2007-12-24December 24 20072007-12-24December 26 20072007-12-26December 24 20072007-12-24December 26 20082008-12-26A photograph of a ritual hall at Bidadi Adheenam during Brahmotsavam. Six deity murtis, dressed with garlands and set beneath multicoloured umbrellas, sit on orange and pink draped platforms along the back wall. In front, a pyramid of brass kalasha pots with mango leaves and coconuts stands on a white-cloth platform, and a brass lamp rests on the floor. At left, a figure in orange robes and a rudraksha-style garland tends a white brick homa pit decorated with flowers. A drummer in white sits at the right. Orange flags hang from the ceiling. Several people in white and orange sit on mats near the edges of the frame.2007-12-24Photograph of a ritual hall with a white tiled wall and a row of Dhyanapeetam pennants overhead. Several deity murtis dressed in colourful garlands stand on draped platforms, with a large painted bull and a decorated arch behind them and red-and-orange parasols above. In the foreground, a priest in white dhoti and a man in orange robes with a rudraksha mala sit beside a square homa/yagna pit lined with white and red offerings. Mounds of brass-lidded pots decorated with mango leaves and white cloth sit on the right, and a brass oil lamp stands near the pit. Two men sit at the left with a drum and musicians behind them.2007-12-30A photograph of a homa ceremony inside a whitewashed hall with an orange pennant strung along the roof. In the centre a figure in an orange robe with a red-orange shawl and a long garland of white and orange flowers stands beside a brick fire pit, holding a brass plate. Behind him, a man in white robes sits with a small drum, and several people in white kurtas and orange shawls sit on the mat, some holding flower-bearing plates. Along the back wall stand three ornate parasol-canopies over decorated deity murti dressed in garlands. To the right, a large pyramid of brass kalasha pots is arranged on a white-draped table. Plates of offerings, fruit and oil lamps lie on the floor near the pit. The figure in orange with long swept-back hair and rudraksha-style adornment is a person candidate, but the appearance is not conclusive.2007-12-25A photograph of a homa ceremony in a whitewashed hall with a corrugated roof, decorated with orange and purple pennants. A standing figure in long saffron-orange robes and a white flower garland stands at the centre, holding a lit ritual lamp near a brick fire pit. Seated around them are men in white dhotis with orange shawls, some holding ceremonial staffs. On the right, a person in white with an orange shawl films with a handheld camera. Behind the fire pit, four decorated deity murtis stand under colourful umbrellas, with garlands, and a pyramid of brass kalashas sits in front. Fruit, flowers and offerings are laid on mats in the foreground.2007-12-25A photograph of a Hindu ritual in a hall with cream walls and a large sliding door. In the foreground a white brick fire pit, decorated with flower petals and an oil lamp, is tended by a man in white with an orange shawl and a woman in an orange sari with a white garland. Behind it stands a tiered arrangement of golden kalasha pots with mango leaves and flowers. Drummers and musicians sit on the floor, several in orange cloth, with a frame drum and a large drum in front. A young woman in a red and grey sari and a man in white with a red and gold shawl sit near the fire pit. Ornate umbrellas and decorated palanquins with deity murti in red and orange drapes line the back. Seated devotees fill the rear of the room.2007-12-26December 24 20072007-12-24December 24 20072007-12-24