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A photograph of a homa fire ritual in progress. A brick-built fire pit holds a bright flame, with marigold petals scattered on the bricks. A man with a shaved head, a tilak mark on his forehead, and an orange robe with a gold-beaded necklace feeds the fire with an offering. Around him, several seated men in white and orange-red shawls and devotees look on, with brass vessels and plates of offerings nearby. a person: the seated ritual officiant in orange robes and gold beads matches a possible in-person candidate, but the appearance cues are not distinctive enough to confirm identity.

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August 26 20072007-08-26August 26 20072007-08-26A homa fire is lit inside a square brick fire pit covered with white bricks and scattered orange marigold petals. A bald man in orange robes and a large gold necklace with a pendant feeds sticks into the flame with his right hand. Beside him a young man in white clothes with an orange shawl tends the offerings, and a steel bowl and plate of dried sticks and leaves sit nearby. Several boys and young people in white clothes and orange shawls sit on the floor behind them, and an older man in white stands at the doorway. The scene is an indoor fire ritual in a plain white-walled hall. Whether the robed man is the a person is uncertain, since the visible cues are only a shaved head and orange robes with a gold necklace.2007-08-26A photograph of a homa fire ceremony in a tent setting. A fire burns in a yellow-brick fire pit with kindling. A man in a purple shawl with a gold chain pours or offers an item from a spoon into the fire, while a man in orange and red dhoti-style clothing with a shawl sits at right holding a small vessel. Behind them, a man in red and orange clothes holds a basket of offerings, and a woman in white and gold stands at left. Steel bowls, a brass lamp and rows of white cups or shell-like offerings sit on shelves at right, with a small deity murti visible at far right.2015-09-14A homa fire ritual in progress. A man in an orange saffron garment with a white tilak mark on his forehead kneels before a white brick fire pit decorated with orange marigold petals, pouring from a metal ladle into a flame. A second man in white clothing stands behind him, and a figure in a white dhoti stands in the background near a wall. To the right, a tiered red-draped platform with gold trim stands beside the pit. A metal vessel and brass items sit at the left edge.2007-08-26 +1 copiesA photograph of a homa or yagna at an outdoor-style fire pit lined with brick, with bright flames rising from stacked wood. A man with a shaved head and white tilak markings on his forehead and arms sits cross-legged in an orange-red robe, holding a long wooden stick toward the fire. He wears a gold necklace and a bracelet, and a microphone stands beside him. Nearby are silver bowls, a brass oil lamp and small offering vessels on an orange cloth. Seated devotees in white dhotis and orange shawls, with garland flowers at the edge, sit on blue and striped mats behind him. a person: the seated ritual leader wears orange robes, a gold necklace and a rudraksha-style neck mala.2012-09-04November 26 20172017-11-26A night homa in progress at a yellow-and-white square fire pit filled with logs and burning embers, with smoke rising. A young priest in white dhoti and a white head wrap, bare-chested with rudraksha malas and sandalwood markings, pours or tends offerings at the fire with a stick. Behind him, a shaved-headed man in saffron-orange robes and a rudraksha mala sits attentively, and several women in orange saris with rudraksha malas and white forehead markings sit at left. Devotees in white shirts and dark clothes sit in the background among dim lights.2013-11-07A photograph of a homa fire ritual in a brick-walled temple corridor. Fire burns in a square pit built from stacked yellow-brown bricks, with a bright flame rising from the centre. Two sannyasi-like priests in saffron-orange robes and rudraksha malas sit cross-legged on a purple and green mat beside the fire; the left one wears a red-orange turban and tends the flames. Behind them, a man bare-chested in a white dhoti with a gold necklace bends forward over a silver tray decorated with pink flowers. Other people in white dhotis and saris stand in the background, and a child in the foreground sits facing the fire. A small brass vessel and oil lamps sit nearby. No identity is asserted for any person.2017-11-26September 14 20152015-09-14September 14 20152015-09-14Outdoor homa ritual beside a square fire pit built from white-painted bricks, with a large flame burning inside. A seated figure in long, swept-back dark hair and flowing saffron-orange robes, with a microphone on a stand beside him, gestures with both hands toward the fire. Another seated man in white clothing with an orange shawl sits at the left of the fire, watching. Brass bowls, a silver ceremonial vessel, a small kalasha-style pot, leaves and scattered marigold petals surround the fire pit on a sandy ground under large trees. A mat and cloth bundles lie behind them.2006-09-21 +1 copies