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Overhead photo of a brick-lined fire pit (homa kunda) built from stacked reddish bricks, with dry wood laid inside and flower petals scattered along the brick edges. A tall silver lamp stand with a small flame and a red sacred symbol sits at the centre front. Surrounding the pit are rows of leaf-bowl offerings (leaf cups) filled with grains, herbs, powders, seeds, dried plants and spices, plus small brass vessels with liquids and a wooden ladle. No people are visible; the scene shows yagna preparation for a ritual offering at a temple foundation site.

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A homa fire burns in a raised wooden fire pit on a colourful striped cloth. Around it, many wooden plates and bowls hold dried herbs, roots, bark pieces, grains, red and yellow powders, green leaves and white salt for ritual offerings. A bowl of pink flowers sits at left, and a row of small white-tipped packets lies at right. A shirtless man with a sacred thread sits behind the fire pit, and another person in white clothing sits at the left edge. Copper and brass vessels and a golden structure appear in the background.2017-03-16A photograph of a ritual setup for a homa fire pit: a grid of many round metal plates arranged in rows on a red floor, each holding dried herbs, roots, seeds, bark and powders. Behind them stands a white brick-like fire altar decorated with red, pink and yellow flowers and a line of orange marigold garlands along the table edge. A bundle of firewood sits at left beside a brass vessel, a small brass lamp and a plastic water bottle, with a white cloth draped on the table. Only a partial figure in white clothing is visible at the far left edge. No a person figure is visible.2007-11-18September 29 20062006-09-29 +1 copiesA homa fire ritual in progress: a fire burns in a wooden fire pit on a striped multicolour cloth. A priest on the left, bare-backed and wearing white dhoti with white sacred ash markings on his arm and shoulder, tends the fire. Behind the fire, a young man sits cross-legged in white clothes with a bare upper body. Around the fire are many bowls of offering materials: red and orange powders, roasted and dried herbs, bark and seeds, green leaves, rose petals in a metal tray, and white powder. On the right a row of white and silver ritual items stand in trays, and gold-painted deity structure appears behind. Brass pots and ladles sit beside the pit.2017-03-16March 05 20162016-03-05 +1 copiesOverhead view of a homa fire pit built from yellow-painted bricks in a square, with a white-tiled ground. Inside the pit area sit a silver bowl of milk or ghee, silver pot-stands, brass bowls of turmeric and kumkum, and a silver dish of loose flowers in pink, white and yellow. A silver ceremonial lamp stand and a silver ladle lie nearby. Bundles of dry sticks and wood are stacked on a striped cloth at right, and a pair of rudraksha-like seed garlands and incense sticks rest on an orange-and-red striped cloth at left. No people are visible.2014-03-18A homa ritual setup laid out on a striped woven mat in red, green, blue and purple. A square brick fire pit is garlanded with white and pink flowers and holds stacked wood sticks. Around it, dozens of small round brass or gold-rimmed plates hold dried herbs, bark pieces and wood sticks in neat rows. Fruit including mango, apple, pineapple and banana sits on a steel plate beside a bundle of white cloth and a bowl of white flowers. A copper kalasha, brass vessels and a ladle rest on an orange cloth at the upper left. No people are visible; the scene is an arrangement of offerings for the ceremony.2009-07-01Outdoor homa ceremony on a red cloth. A white stone fire pit with a raised square base sits at centre, with marigold and flower garlands along its edge and a brass vessel beside it. A priest in saffron-orange robes sits at left on a white-draped seat, with a second white-draped seat beside him. Long rows of white-rimmed plates hold herbs, grains and dried offerings along the left side, and bundled mango leaves and fruit sit in woven baskets at right. Behind, a banner shows a painted deity figure, and devotees in white and cream clothes stand at the back. A brass lamp stand and fruit offerings sit on a table to the right.2007-11-18A seated priest in an orange-saffron cloth draped over his head and shoulders holds a brass arati lamp with a flame, offering it toward a shrine. On the wall above the shrine hangs a framed photograph of a seated man in orange robes with a white bead necklace, hand raised in blessing, labelled with a printed caption reading PARAMAHAMSA NITHYANANDA. The framed portrait is garlanded with yellow and red flowers. Below it, a white-draped table holds a small deity murti in blue with a silver necklace and a sacred stone or linga covered in red cloth. Brass oil lamps, incense sticks, a kalasha pot with a coconut and mango leaves, and rows of brass plates filled with grains and dried offerings lie on white cloths. Brick platform, marigold petals and mango leaves complete the setting.2007-10-21December 28 20172017-12-28A photograph of a homa fire pit prepared on bare ground. A square enclosure of reddish brick blocks, dusted with yellow powder, surrounds a bed of sand with a small pyramid of thin dry sticks at the centre. A white plastic bowl sits on one brick corner, and a bundle of dry sticks lies to the right. On the left are a copper vessel with a spoon, a small brass dish, a cardboard tray holding pink and yellow flowers, a red cloth, a matchbox, a brass bowl with a ladle, and a plastic bag of white cubes. In the foreground a paper plate holds a mixed heap of dried herbs and petals. No people are visible.2007-07-22April 28 20172017-04-28