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A homa fire ritual in progress on a floor inside a home. A brick-walled square fire pit with flowers and wood sticks has a burning flame. A man in an orange saffron robe and orange turban, wearing a rudraksha mala and a gold pendant, sits cross-legged and offers into the fire with his right hand while ringing a brass bell with his left. Bands of white ash mark his arm. Seated behind him in white dhotis, a shirtless man presses his palms together in prayer, and other devotees in white clothes sit nearby. Brass bowls, fruit, pink flower petals, a white garland and a microphone are arranged around the fire pit, with a large pumpkin at the left edge.

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A homa fire ritual at a square orange-brick fire pit with tall flames. A man in an orange-red turban, rudraksha mala and gold ceremonial necklace, wearing an orange-red shawl, leans over the fire and places an offering with his right hand. Behind him a younger man in white with a rudraksha mala and tilak sits holding a brass ladle over a brass bowl. Brass oil lamps, a basket, banana leaves and metal plates of offerings lie on mats around the pit. Seated people in white and orange robes with garlands are visible in the background.2015-10-12June 09 20092009-06-09October 12 20152015-10-12A photo of a fire ritual. A shaven-headed man sits cross-legged on an orange cloth, wearing an orange robe, a gold rudraksha-style necklace of beads and a white and red forehead marking, and speaks into a microphone while reaching toward a flame. Brass and silver bowls hold offerings and wood sticks sit by the fire. Seated behind him, two men in white clothes sit with folded hands, and a third man in a red and white shawl sits on a chair nearby. Flowers lie at the edge of the frame. The orange-robed man's appearance is not clearly distinctive enough to confirm identity, so he is described only by role as a ritual officiant.2012-09-09A homa fire pit lined with yellow brick, with flames rising from burning wood and offerings of seeds and red petals, is the centre of the scene. A man in orange robes and a rudraksha mala sits cross-legged at the fire and tends the flames with a ladle. Beside him, a man in a plain orange cloth and a purple shawl kneels and tends the fire, and a seated man in orange robes with a gold necklace and a gold garland watches. Behind them, priests in white dhotis and orange cloths attend a row of small white lamps and a brass lamp stand, and a shelf of carved deity and animal figures is visible on the right. A central figure in orange robes, with long grey hair, sits calmly with hands folded. The scene appears to be a ritual homa in progress at an outdoor setup with a colourful striped mat.2015-09-14June 09 20092009-06-09December 09 20132013-12-09A homa fire ritual in progress: a brick-lined fire pit with a bright flame, scattered pink flower petals and offerings such as lemons, brass bowls and a tray of grains. Three men in saffron-orange robes sit close by; the central figure, with an orange cloth and gold beaded necklace, holds his hands over the flame while the man on the left, with long dark hair and a rudraksha mala, holds a sacred item. A man in white with an orange shawl sits at right beside a microphone stand. Seated devotees in white and yellow clothing sit in the background, and a carved wooden chair stands behind the central figure.2009-06-09A shaved-headed man in an orange saffron dhoti and shawl with gold trim sits cross-legged on a green mat, holding a silver lamp with a bright open flame in his right hand and a silver handbell in his left. A long beaded necklace hangs on his chest and he has white sacred ash markings on his forehead and arms. Before him on the ground are brick-like blocks garlanded with yellow flowers, fruit, a silver plate of offerings and a kolam pattern. Seated behind him in white clothes, devotees sit on white chairs with hands folded in prayer, indicating a puja ritual. a person cues: saffron clothing with gold trim, beaded ceremonial necklace and a central ritual role, with the man performing the aarti.2010-12-16September 14 20152015-09-14Outdoor evening fire ritual (homa) at a brick fire pit lit by an open flame. A seated priest in a rust-red dhoti and red turban, with long swept-back hair, a gold-bead necklace and a large gold pendant, pours or offers ghee from a silver bowl into the fire with his right hand. Beside him a young person in an orange-saffron cloth with a red and white beaded mala and glasses sits near brass and silver ritual vessels and a kalasha. Several devotees in white clothes sit on the left with hands pressed in anjali, one woman with a red bead necklace. Dark pavement and a green leaf are visible in the foreground.2013-12-152003 - Homa and puja at a devotee's home in Tiruppur