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A homa is performed in front of a shrine decorated with marigold and jasmine garlands and string lights. A priest in orange robes and an orange head cloth sits on the ground at left, feeding ghee from a ladle into a small fire on a fire pit surrounded by stacked wooden logs. Rows of brass plates with offerings and small lamps cover the ground in front. Behind them, a golden-framed portrait of a smiling figure in orange robes and a rudraksha mala sits on a red and gold throne draped with a garland. The shrine holds a deity murti of a seated couple with peacocks on either side, and brass lamp stands line the platform. Several plates of flowers, fruit and rice sit near the priest.

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December 28 20092009-12-28December 28 20092009-12-28December 28 20092009-12-28A photograph of a temple ritual at an outdoor shrine with a stone deity backdrop. A framed portrait of a saffron-robed man with a rudraksha mala sits on a red-and-gold throne draped in marigold and jasmine garlands, and a fire pit with offerings is set in front of it. A priest in orange robes kneels at the fire, holding a small lamp, while a second orange-clad attendant stands beside him holding a brass tray. Several devotees sit on striped mats in white and red saris and white clothes, with hands folded in prayer. Brass lamps, a kalasha, banana bunches and marigold garlands surround the scene. Whether the portrait depicts a candidate in person cannot be confirmed from the image alone; it is a depiction in print and the figure is not established as physically present.2009-12-26December 28 20092009-12-28A photograph of a temple shrine with a golden arched canopy and carved grey stone walls, where two deity murtis stand behind a framed portrait garlanded with yellow and orange flowers. In front, a seated man in saffron-orange robes and an orange head wrap sits on the floor before a row of brass lamps and metal bowls with offerings. A portrait of a figure with long dark hair, orange robes and a rudraksha-style necklace sits on a red-cushioned gilded seat, and a probable Swamiji is depicted in the framed portrait. Orange curtains and banana leaves frame the scene, with a second person in white and yellow and an attendant in orange nearby.2009-12-28December 28 20092009-12-28December 28 20092009-12-28December 26 20092009-12-26A photograph of an outdoor ritual at a shrine with a stone deity murti decorated with marigold and yellow garlands. In front, a large framed portrait of a saffron-robed figure with long hair and a garland sits on a red-and-gold throne-like seat. Several people in orange robes stand and kneel near the front: one in orange holds a lamp or aarti flame, another in orange kneels at left, and a standing orange-clad figure at far left holds a mala. Seated devotees in white, red and blue saris and white kurta sit before rows of brass vessels, fruit, bananas and flower-decorated offerings on the ground. Orange pillars and curtains frame the scene, consistent with a puja or aarti.2009-12-26A photograph of a homa ritual at dusk before a shrine. A seated priest in orange robes with a saffron head covering sits cross-legged on the left, hands folded in anjali, facing a small fire burning in a red-draped homa pit. Behind the fire, a stone shrine arch framed by red curtains holds a deity murti with a crown, flower garlands and a large marigold mala, flanked by coconuts and banana leaves. Rows of brass oil lamps stand around the shrine and a tray of lamps fills the foreground, with brass pots and offerings nearby.A temple shrine with a deity murti of a goddess seated on a red-draped platform, garlanded with yellow and red flower strands and flanked by coconut and mango leaf decorations. In front, a standing priest in orange saffron robes and a saffron head wrap bends over a fire or offering area, pouring from a brass vessel, while a seated devotee in white and yellow attire watches at left. Tall brass oil lamps line the steps, and a flame burns on a white-tiled platform with fruit and flower offerings.2009-09-22