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A dim brick-walled ritual chamber where a homa or yagna fire blazes in a pit at lower right. A shirtless man in white dhoti with a sacred thread sits cross-legged before the fire, with marigold and yellow flower garlands arranged on the floor and a flower-covered tray nearby. At upper right, another priest in a white dhoti and beaded necklace sits beside a flower-filled plate and a second fire glow. Offerings in cloth bundles lie at the edge of the frame, and a small brass vessel sits on the floor. Smoke fills the warm, shadowy space.

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A photograph of a night homa (fire ritual) in a dimly lit temple-like open hall. A large fire burns in a rectangular brick fire pit on the right, surrounded by offerings and a brass vessel. In the foreground a shirtless man in white dhoti with a blue border sits cross-legged before a tray of yellow marigold flowers. Behind him several priests in white dhotis wear rudraksha-style beaded necklaces, with a person in saffron-orange robes standing on a raised platform at upper left. Yellow flower garlands hang on the left and a decorated kalasha stands near the fire.2016-09-28September 28 20162016-09-28September 28 20162016-09-28A homa fire burns in a brick fire pit at the centre of the frame, with bright flames rising from the square altar. Around it, priests sit on the floor in white dhotis and orange cloths. A young priest in front, bare-chested with a tilak on his forehead and an orange shawl over his shoulder, tends the fire. Behind him, other priests with rudraksha malas sit before trays of marigold and yellow flower garlands and brass vessels. Pale stone-block walls and a corrugated roof frame the scene, and a standing woman in a white sari with orange border stands in the background. Offering sticks and a basket lie in the foreground.2016-10-16Priests perform a homa fire ritual inside a brick-walled space at dusk. A large brick fire pit holds blazing flames, surrounded by marigold garlands, brass vessels, bundles of sticks in a basket, and a bowl of grains. Seated priests wear white dhotis, bare upper bodies, and orange or saffron shawls and headcloths; one wears an orange headcloth and holds a bowl over the fire, another in an orange shawl sits cross-legged at the pit, and others tend to a second fire pit in the background. Garlanded brass pots and offerings are arranged on a striped mat. A bearded figure in white stands at the left edge.2016-10-16October 16 20162016-10-16A photograph of a homa fire ritual in an open courtyard with brick walls. At the centre, a square brick fire pit blazes with flames. Several men in white dhotis, some bare-chested, sit cross-legged on a patterned mat around the fire. A man in the centre wears a white shawl and a rudraksha mala. Behind, a man in a yellow head cloth and white dhoti sits beside another fire. Garlands of yellow and orange flowers, brass bowls, a basket of wooden sticks, and a dish of grains lie on the mat. Other men stand in the background near a wooden door.2016-10-16September 28 20162016-09-28Evening fire ritual in an open brick-walled courtyard. A large square homa fire pit with a bright flame sits at centre, surrounded by garlands of yellow and orange flowers, bowls of offerings, fruit and green leaves. A priest in white dhoti with a bare upper body and a red-orange headcloth sits at the left and tends the fire with a ladle. Another priest in a white dhoti and orange sash sits behind the fire pit, with a second fire and more ritual participants visible in the background. A woman with glasses and a flower garland sits at the right. Several other people in white dhotis are seated or standing in the background.2016-10-16Photograph of a fire ritual, homa or yagna, inside a stone-walled hall with rough brick and stone blocks. Several priests sit on the floor around brick-lined fire pits where flames rise, with bowls of offerings, leafy green stems, marigold-like flowers, a basket of sticks and brass vessels nearby. The priest in the centre wears an orange-saffron cloth draped over his body with a tilak on his forehead. A bare-chested priest on the right wears a yellow head cloth and white dhoti. Attendants in white and orange garments tend the fires and handle offerings in the background.2016-10-16A homa fire burns in a brick fire pit at the centre of a stone-walled hall, surrounded by marigold garlands and brass vessels. A bare-chested man with a white dhoti and orange shawl, with a tilak on his forehead, sits cross-legged before the fire. Around him, priests in white dhotis and orange clothing tend the ritual, one holding a brass pot and another feeding offerings into the flames. A second fire burns in the background, and a woven basket of sticks and offering materials sits at right. Copyright overlay text appears on the image.2016-10-16January 06 20182018-01-06