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A shaven-headed man in saffron-orange robes with gold borders stands at night, raising a silver aarti lamp with a large flame in his right hand while holding a silver kalasha-style vessel in his left. A rudraksha-style beaded garland with gold ornaments hangs on his chest. Seated devotees behind him, including women in saris and a few head-covered or fair-haired attendees, look up and clap. A white board with colourful printed graphics and a parked vehicle appear in the dim background.

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October 05 20112011-10-05A standing priest in saffron-orange robes with a red-bordered drape over his head and a gold bead necklace with a pendant stands at a homa fire pit, holding a lit lamp in one hand and a bell in the other. Smoke rises around him under a canopy of palm leaves and fresh green foliage. Several seated people in white and yellow-bordered clothing sit around the fire, some with hands joined. In the foreground, flower petals, silver and brass vessels, and a brass tray with offerings lie on the white altar.2009-09-25December 16 20102010-12-16October 16 20122012-10-16Night outdoor ritual photograph. A shaved-headed priest in saffron-orange robes with a gold-bordered dhoti stands at right holding a lit camphor aarti flame on a plate and a silver bell in the other hand, wearing a gold necklace and a red tilak. Behind him to the left, another saffron-robed man stands with hands folded. Seated devotees in the foreground watch from behind a dark wooden platform draped with an orange cloth, with street lights and a yellow flag blurred in the background.2011-10-05May 25 20132013-05-25 +1 copiesA photograph of a night homa ceremony under a temporary pandal decorated with orange cloth and leafy garlands. A bald priest in orange robes with a red-edged shawl and a gold bead necklace holds a lit ritual lamp aloft in his right hand and a bell in his left. Smoke rises from a fire pit on a white platform scattered with yellow marigold petals and red kolam designs. Behind him an attendant in white dhoti and yellow shawl holds a long palm-leaf canopy stick, and seated devotees in white and yellow shawls sit on the ground. Brass plates of sweets, a kalasha and a brass lamp sit on the platform.2009-09-25October 27 20122012-10-27A standing figure in saffron-orange robes with a hooded drape and a gold-beaded necklace holds a lit multi-wick brass aarti lamp in one hand and a small bell in the other during an evening ritual. Smoke fills the air, and a fire pit sits in front of him edged with yellow marigold petals, with silver and brass vessels and offerings on a tray. Seated devotees in white clothes with yellow shawls press their palms together, and one wears a rudraksha mala. Green palm fronds hang overhead. The lamp flame and aarti gesture suggest an aarti performed during a homa.2009-09-25Night photograph of a shaven-headed man in orange saffron robes and a red-and-orange head wrap holding a brass aarti lamp with several flames, his face in profile, with a string of beads at his neck and a bangle on his wrist. He stands in a smoky, dimly lit space with strings of small lamps and green banana leaves overhead. In the lower left, a woman in a yellow blouse and white garment and other spectators stand at the edge of the frame, and a brass oil lamp with marigold garlands sits at lower right. The setting appears to be an evening ritual with aarti and lamps.2009-09-25A bald man in an orange-red saffron garment with a gold-bordered dhoti and a gold chain necklace stands with his right arm raised high, holding a tiered silver multi-tier aarti lamp with lit oil lamps at night. A seated crowd of devotees watches, including a woman in a red top at the lower left and an older woman in a green sari with folded hands at right. Dark background with a red pole and tree foliage. The scene suggests an evening aarti ceremony.2011-10-05A night ritual photograph in which a shaved-headed man in saffron-orange robes and a long gold bead necklace holds a silver aarti lamp with a large open flame, performing the flame offering. Behind him a man in white with a yellow shawl stands with palms pressed together in namaste. At the lower left, a seated man in white and yellow holds another lit lamp. Fresh banana leaves and neem leaves hang above, smoke drifts through the scene, and brass plates with yellow flower petals and offerings lie in the foreground. The orange-robed man is a person by appearance: a saffron robe, ornate gold beads and the central role in the aarti, though the appearance is only partly distinctive.2009-09-25