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Night-time temple ritual outdoors in front of a stone shrine with carved pillars and a golden lamp at right. A young priest in white dhoti with yellow border and a white shawl holds a multi-flame camphor aarti lamp on a silver plate, smoke rising. Beside him stands an older man in orange-saffron dhoti and shawl wearing a beaded necklace, and behind is a woman in red sari. Fruit platters, bowls and banana leaves lie on the ground, and a seated devotee in white is partly visible at lower centre. Aarti in progress.

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October 05 20112011-10-05December 28 20112011-12-28Night outdoor homa ceremony under a decorated pavilion with green leaf festoons and string lights at the right. A bald priest in saffron-orange robes, a saffron head covering and a long rudraksha-style bead necklace stands centre-right, holding a brass tray of red fruits and bananas. A young assistant in white kurta with a yellow shawl stands beside him holding bundled sticks. Brass vessels, a tall brass lamp and a kalasha sit on the altar, with marigold petals scattered before it. Figures in orange and yellow shawls sit in the foreground, partly visible at the edges.2009-09-26November 06 20112011-11-06Photograph of a temple ritual indoors. A bare-chested priest with a shaved head and white vibhuti marks on his forehead, wearing a saffron-orange dhoti and a rudraksha mala, stands at left with palms pressed together. Beside him, a younger priest with a red-and-white forehead mark, a white floral garland and a rudraksha mala holds a silver plate with a flaming camphor or ghee flame over a tray of white and pink flowers. At right, a man in a white dhoti and shawl with a rudraksha mala and glasses watches. Brass oil lamps, a silver kalasha-style vessel and a gold-brocade covered table stand in front, and a decorated deity murti with garlands appears in an alcove at right.2012-06-05Night outdoor ritual photograph. A shaven-headed man in white dhoti and orange shawl stands at left holding a lit camphor flame on a silver plate, performing aarti. Seated on a white-covered raised seat at right, a figure in orange robes and a rudraksha mala sits with palms pressed together in prayer, wearing orange sandals. Nearby, another man in white with an orange shawl sits cross-legged on a mat. Devotees in white clothes sit on mats, and a woman in a green sari stands with hands folded among a standing crowd. A brick wall, corrugated roof, a red curtain and a colourful patterned pillar frame the scene, with a small oil lamp on the ground.2007-02-16 +1 copiesA photograph of a homa fire ritual inside a temple-style hall. A fire burns in a pit at centre, with a microphone on a stand beside it. A priest in an orange robe on the left sprinkles or offers grains from a brass bowl, while a priest in white with a sacred thread sits beside the fire. On the right, a man in white with a garland of white flowers sits with hands folded in prayer, next to a woman in an orange sari holding a small child, with a second child nearby. Another man in white with a garland sits with palms joined. Fruits, leaves, bundles of wooden sticks, brass vessels and a kalasha-style setup lie on the floor. Behind them, a deity murti and a framed portrait of Shiva hang on the wall, and a banana plant stands in the background. The image is photo; a person cues are not clearly distinctive, so the seated white-clad devotees are described by role.2011-11-06Night ritual outdoors under a tin-roofed pavilion. In the foreground, a bare-chested young man with long dark hair and a rudraksha mala, wearing an orange dhoti with gold border, raises a silver multi-wick aarti lamp with flames. Behind him, several people in orange and saffron garments stand and sit holding brass plates and offerings; some wear white and garlands. At right, a richly decorated deity murti is near a lit oil lamp and a fire pit burning on a stone platform, with marigold petals scattered on the ground. A framed portrait hangs on the back wall above a green-lit banner.2016-10-29November 20 20102010-11-20Night-time fire ritual (homa/yagna) at a temple courtyard. A shirtless man with a striped yellow-and-blue dhoti and a rudraksha-style necklace stands with palms joined before the flames. In the centre, a bald priest in white dhoti with a saffron-and-gold shawl pours offerings into a burning fire pit. A kneeling person in white clothing bends over the fire pit. Fresh flower garlands in red and white, fruit, and marigold offerings lie around the raised platform. Behind them, a shrine holds a deity murti with a garlanded image beside it, and white pillars line the colonnade. A man in white stands at the right edge holding a metal vessel.2018-03-02Night photo of a homa fire ritual at an open temple courtyard. In the centre, a bare-chested priest in white dhoti with a gold-and-saffron cloth draped over the shoulder holds a silver vessel with a coconut and fruit toward a stone fire pit with bright flames and flower garlands. Beside him, another priest in a white dhoti with yellow borders holds ritual items and performs the offering. At right, a priest with folded palms wears red beads and a yellow-and-blue dhoti. Brass pots, marigold garlands and red offerings lie around the fire, and a shrine with deity murti and wooden pillars with bamboo scaffolding stands behind. Several more priests in white are visible at left.2018-03-02November 16 20152015-11-16