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Outdoor Hindu ritual at a fire pit with a stone homa altar. A man in saffron-orange robes, a long gold bead mala with a gold pendant, and an orange-red sash stands holding a lit oil lamp in one hand and a small silver vessel in the other. Behind him, a seated crowd in white and yellow clothes sits with palms pressed together in prayer, and red-orange cloth bundles lie to the right. A seated priest in orange on the left has folded hands. Silver lamps, brass bowls, marigold petals, rice on a plate and incense sticks are arranged on a white cloth in the foreground, with smoke rising from the fire pit.

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October 08 20082008-10-08A photograph of a night homa ceremony under a temporary pandal decorated with orange cloth and leafy garlands. A bald priest in orange robes with a red-edged shawl and a gold bead necklace holds a lit ritual lamp aloft in his right hand and a bell in his left. Smoke rises from a fire pit on a white platform scattered with yellow marigold petals and red kolam designs. Behind him an attendant in white dhoti and yellow shawl holds a long palm-leaf canopy stick, and seated devotees in white and yellow shawls sit on the ground. Brass plates of sweets, a kalasha and a brass lamp sit on the platform.2009-09-25Outdoor ritual photograph beneath a large banyan tree with thick aerial roots. A barefoot man in saffron-orange robes and an orange turban, with a long rudraksha mala, raises a brass arati lamp with flame toward the sky while holding a small handbell in the other hand. Behind him a woman in white with a bindi and dark standing figures watch. Seated in the foreground, a bearded man in white clothes gestures with open hands beside a wooden side table bearing a brass kalasha and a brass puja vessel, and a row of brass pots and a plate of fruit and flowers lie on the ground. Several seated and standing devotees in white clothes surround the scene, and a rudraksha-adorned priest figure stands at the centre.2004-07-02A standing priest in saffron-orange robes with a red-bordered drape over his head and a gold bead necklace with a pendant stands at a homa fire pit, holding a lit lamp in one hand and a bell in the other. Smoke rises around him under a canopy of palm leaves and fresh green foliage. Several seated people in white and yellow-bordered clothing sit around the fire, some with hands joined. In the foreground, flower petals, silver and brass vessels, and a brass tray with offerings lie on the white altar.2009-09-25December 28 20082008-12-28 +1 copiesOctober 09 20082008-10-09September 25 20092009-09-25A photograph of a ritual aarti at dusk on a raised white-and-red platform before a pillared temple structure. A central figure with long dark hair swept back, wearing a saffron-orange shawl with gold border and layered gold-bead necklaces, holds a multi-tiered brass oil lamp with lit flames. Around him, others hold similar lamps: a bald man in white dhoti with orange shawl and beaded necklace, a woman in orange and red, and a man in a blue striped shirt. Brass trishula staffs stand in the background and a dark stone Shiva lingam sits in the foreground. The performers are touching lamps toward the flames in a group aarti.2010-09-24A seated priest in an orange robe with a white tilak on his forehead performs a puja on a white cloth spread over a woven mat. Before him are a small brass oil lamp, a silver vessel, incense sticks, a bowl of white flowers, bowls of red and yellow powder, a dish of rice, a steel pot of food, and a hand bell. Behind him, rows of seated men in white shirts and orange shawls sit with palms pressed together in prayer, some wearing identification badges. One man with long dark wavy hair and white clothes sits nearby, hands folded. The setting appears to be an evening ritual with lamp light.2008-08-02May 05 20122012-05-05Evening outdoor aarti scene. A central man in orange saffron robes with a gold-bordered dhoti and a long rudraksha mala holds up a tall brass lamp with multiple flames, looking upward. To his left, a man in pink-orange robes and a red shawl raises a similar flaming lamp. Behind them a man in white dhoti and shawl with a beaded mala stands eyes closed, and a man in a blue shirt and glasses holds another lit brass lamp. A shivalinga-like murti sits in the lower right foreground on a red-patterned cloth, with a white cloth below. An ornate pillar stands in the background.2010-09-24A shaved-headed priest in an orange saffron dhoti and shawl with a gold zari border holds a silver aarti lamp with a flame blazing to the right, and a silver bell in his other hand. He wears a gold bead necklace, a gold bracelet, and a red tilak on his forehead, and his hands are stained with mehndi. Behind him, a second man in white ritual dress and a woman stand in a line. The background shows red and orange draped cloth. The scene appears to be an aarti or puja ritual.2010-12-19