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A homa ritual on an outdoor stage under white tent canopies and palm fronds. A man in saffron-orange robes with a long swept-back hairstyle and beaded mala necklace sits cross-legged at a square yellow fire pit, his hands raised in offering. Around him sit several people in white dhotis and orange-red shawls, including a young boy beside him and a person in white with a saffron scarf. Brass plates hold fruit, flowers, bowls and a conch-shaped vessel. A brass oil lamp and a row of yellow and orange garlanded offerings stand nearby. At right, a decorated murti in saffron and red garments wears a white flower garland. Seated audience members in white shirts and orange shawls watch from chairs at left, and a backdrop banner appears at upper right.

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October 18 20122012-10-18October 18 20122012-10-18November 10 20112011-11-10October 18 20122012-10-18Outdoor ritual at a temple courtyard. In the left foreground, a figure in orange robes with long dark hair and raised hand sits beside a second robed officiant in orange at a fire-pit ritual area of white brick. Platters of fruit, marigold and yellow flowers, bowls, brass lamps, coconuts, bundled sticks and kumkum surround the platform. On the right, a man in white dhoti and shirt with a flower garland sits with hands folded in namaskar. Behind them, a row of seated and standing devotees in saffron, pink, purple and white saris and white clothes watches; a white-robed attendant stands near the back. Garlanded deity murti and gold lamps are visible at the upper left.2008-12-26Outdoor evening puja on an orange cloth-covered platform under a canopy. A man in saffron robes and a rudraksha mala sits at the centre, reading from an open book with a microphone before him, with a brass bowl and offerings in front. Surrounding him are brass oil lamps, flower-decorated kalashas, bowls of fruit, a gold-bordered silk cloth and a flower garland. Behind, rows of seated devotees in white dhotis and red or orange shawls watch. A young boy in white sits beside the priest. At left, a decorated deity murti with a garland stands on a golden base. This appears to be a homa-style ritual.2012-10-18 +1 copiesDecember 26 20082008-12-26February 16 20162016-02-16 +1 copiesNight outdoor ritual at Tiruvannamalai with a large crowd seated on chairs and standing behind. In the foreground, priests in white dhotis sit on a raised mat beside a homa fire pit lit with a flame, surrounded by fruit, flowers, coconuts, brass vessels and plantain leaves. A bare-chested man in orange shawl and beads, and another in saffron and white, participate. A woman in an orange-red shawl sits nearby. To the right, a golden throne-like pedestal draped in pink and orange cloth stands empty. Strings of lights hang overhead and a camera on a tripod records the event.2011-11-10October 18 20122012-10-18A photograph of a homa or yagna ceremony under a red and orange canopy hung with orange pennants. At the centre, a square fire pit lined with white stone steps holds a dark basin. Behind it stands a deity murti heavily garlanded with yellow and red flowers. A woman in orange robes sits cross-legged on the left, facing the fire pit, with a bowl of white offerings and a tray of flowers and wood pieces in front of her. On the right, a man with long dark hair sits on a raised seat in orange robes, wearing a rudraksha-style garland, holding a trident-like staff, with attendants in orange and white beside him. Rows of small brass lamps line the mat in the foreground. Devotees in white stand behind, and palm trees appear beyond the walls.2008-12-28 +1 copiesA photograph of a Vedic marriage ritual in an open courtyard. A bride in an orange-red sari and floral garland sits beside a groom in white dhoti and shawl with a garland, both seated before a fire pit built of white stone blocks, with a homa-style fire and oil lamps on brass stands. Monks in orange robes, one with long hair, tend the ritual near the pit. Behind them, a white marble altar holds a deity murti, brass lamps, garlands and offerings. On the right, a man in white with an orange shawl sits, and fruit, flower-heaped plates and banana leaves fill the foreground. Standing and seated devotees in white, orange and red saris and white dhotis fill the background under a red curtain.2008-12-26