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A homa fire ritual in progress. Two priests sit cross-legged on a grey floor before a brick-built fire altar with yellow-coated bricks and a fire pit. The seated priest in front wears a white dhoti with a gold border, a gold chain and a bead mala, and holds a flame in a metal lamp-like dish. Beside him, a younger priest in orange robes and a gold-beaded necklace sits with hands folded. Brass plates hold marigold and rose petals, turmeric powder, sticks for the fire, a small bell and a kumkum dish. A microphone stands nearby, and a red-orange wall and a garlanded deity murti are visible at the right.

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A photograph of a homa fire ritual in a hall with a red-orange wall. Two priests sit cross-legged on the floor before a square fire pit built of yellow-painted bricks with twigs and a small flame. The seated priest at right wears a white dhoti with gold border and a white shawl, a gold necklace with rudraksha beads, and a shaved head with white tilak; he holds a gold vessel and faces a microphone on a stand. The priest at left wears saffron-orange dhoti and shawl with a beaded gold necklace, hands folded in prayer. Plates of flowers, a brass lamp, a small bell, and a pile of wood sticks surround them. At right, a deity murti is decorated with red and yellow garlands. Smoke rises from the fire. The a person candidate is not clearly identifiable from appearance, so no identification is made.2011-11-29 +1 copiesNovember 29 20112011-11-29February 09 20122012-02-09A homa fire ritual in a temple hall. A bald man in white dhoti and kurta with a bright yellow shawl and rudraksha mala sits on an orange cloth, holding a small metal dish over a red metal fire tray with burning flames and offerings. A second man in white kneels at left with palms pressed together in prayer. Brass bowls of fruit and food, a brass oil lamp and a kalasha-style vessel sit nearby, and an orange cloth covers the floor.2010-01-14Two priests in white ritual dhotis sit on an orange mat performing a homa beside a brick-lined fire pit. The priest on the right, wearing a gold necklace and bangles, sits with palms joined in prayer before a microphone stand, a small flame rising from the pit. The priest on the left, with a rudraksha mala and a bare upper body, sits with hands near a brass plate of samagri and sticks for the fire. Behind them stand a stone temple structure with carved panels, a potted palm, and an orange cloth hanging on the wall, with a red-and-white striped backdrop.2011-12-28Two men in white dhotis sit cross-legged on an orange-tinted floor at a ritual homa or fire ceremony. The man on the left, with a microphone before him, holds his hands in a mudra and chants, wearing a red-and-white rudraksha mala. The man on the right, bald and bespectacled with his palms joined in namaskar, wears a gold-bordered white dhoti and a long ornate gold necklace. A brass fire vessel with a lit flame sits between them, with banana, apple, a silver tray, brass lamps and kumkum-marked offerings nearby. Standing figures in white dhotis appear in the background. Single-person identity is not established by appearance cues in this frame.2012-02-09November 29 20112011-11-29December 23 20102010-12-23November 29 20112011-11-29Two priests in white ritual dhotis with golden borders sit before a homa fire pit built of brick, with flames rising from the lit pit. The priest in the foreground, bare-chested with a gold-bordered cloth and a rudraksha mala, holds a silver tray or ladle over the fire. Behind them, a seated priest with a shaved head wears a white cloth and mala and watches quietly. Behind the altar stand three deity murtis dressed in ornate clothing and draped in white jasmine and red flower garlands, with brass kalashas and decorated offering pots holding green leaves in front. A tray of ritual items and banana-leaf offerings lies at the lower left, and a pink cloth covers part of the altar.2010-12-26November 29 20112011-11-29December 23 20102010-12-23