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Night-time homa at a temple-style setting: a fire burns in a square fire pit built from tiered bricks decorated with white kolam-style rangoli and marigold garlands. Three priests sit on striped mats around it; the front priest in a saffron-and-yellow shawl over bare shoulders wears rudraksha-style beads, and another in orange shawl and white dhoti sits nearby. A brass kalasha, flowers, fruit and a banana leaf with offerings lie beside the fire, and a silver plate and brass vessels sit in the foreground. Several people sit in the background, with floor scattered with marigold petals.

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March 06 20162016-03-06March 06 20162016-03-06 +1 copiesMarch 06 20162016-03-06 +1 copiesFour men sit cross-legged around a burning fire pit during a homa at a temple doorway. The fire rises from a brick-and-clay altar decorated with white patterns, red offerings and fruit. The man on the left is bare-chested with a red-and-orange head wrap and a rudraksha-style necklace, holding a ladle. Two others wear white dhotis, one with an orange shawl, and one has a white shawl and a vertical tilak on his forehead. A dark wooden door with metal studs stands behind them, with brass vessels, flowers and banana leaves in the foreground.2017-02-26A homa is performed at a brick fire pit in a temple-like hall. Three priests sit on a striped mat around the burning fire: the man on the left wears a red-and-pink turban, a red-orange rudraksha-style mala, and a white dhoti, and he is feeding items from a woven basket; the man in the centre sits in white with a white shawl and a bead necklace; the man on the right wears a white dhoti, an orange-gold cloth and a bead garland, holding a small item over the flames. A fourth person in white dhoti and white kurta stands in a doorway behind them. Flowers, a brass vessel of ghee, and yellow marigold garlands surround the fire.2016-08-05March 06 20162016-03-06 +1 copiesA homa fire burns in a square yellow-brick fire pit decorated with red flower petals and white powder. A priest bare-chested with a yellow turban and gold beaded necklace pours an offering from a ladle-like vessel into the flames. Beside him a second man in white dhoti with a yellow-bordered cloth and gold beaded necklace tends a tray of wood and offerings. Marigold garlands, oranges, bananas and flowers lie nearby; a heavy wooden door with brass studs stands behind.2017-04-06Four men sit cross-legged around a square homa fire pit lit with a bright flame, in a dim stone-walled hall before large wooden doors. The man at left wears a red head cloth, bare torso and white dhoti with a red-striped shawl and a beaded necklace, holding a brass bowl. Beside him a shirtless man sits with a cloth over his shoulder. At right, a man in a white dhoti and orange shawl holds a small object near his mouth, and another sits behind with a white shawl. Offerings of fruit, flowers, a kalasha-like vessel, brass lamps and an oil lamp lie on the ground around the fire. This is a homa ritual performed by priests.2017-02-26April 06 20172017-04-06A photograph of a homa fire ritual at night in a temple-like room with red walls. At the centre, a shirtless man with a red turban, a gold necklace and a rudraksha-style mala, wearing a yellow shawl, holds an offering above a large blazing fire pit set on stacked bricks with flower garlands and offerings beside it. To the left, a man in a dark brown garment with a garland and gold necklace sits with a metal vessel, and a shirtless attendant in a white dhoti stands at right with a garland and a metal bowl. A fan and a metal cabinet appear behind them.2016-03-06 +1 copiesA homa fire burns in a brick fire pit in the foreground, with cut sticks and a bowl of offerings beside it. Three shirtless men sit on the floor in a ritual setting. The man on the left wears a red and orange turban, a gold-coloured silk cloth over his shoulder, white dhoti, and multiple beaded necklaces, holding a sprig and sitting before a gold-framed throne with red cushions. The man in the centre wears a saffron and gold cloth and a long garland, seated beside a kalasha pot decorated with flowers and red garlands. A young man on the right in a white dhoti and patterned cloth watches the ritual. Brass lamps and flower-decorated vessels surround the scene. The homa is a fire ritual.2016-03-06 +1 copiesA photograph of a fire ritual (homa/yagna) in a temple hall. Two shirtless men with rudraksha malas sit before a square brick fire pit with a bright flame. The central man wears a maroon turban, a white dhoti and a striped shawl, and holds a ritual implement over the fire. A younger man beside him sits with a mala. At the right, a man in a white dhoti with a yellow-green cloth bends forward holding a small bell-like vessel. Yellow and orange flower garlands and marigolds surround the pit, and orange-clothed figures stand in the background with a golden ornate structure behind them. The a person-attribution is not visibly supported by appearance.2018-01-06