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Night-time ritual at a temple with a fire pit and offerings. Several shaven-headed young priests in saffron-orange robes sit on the floor facing a raised golden throne-like peetha decorated with multicoloured garlands. A figure on the throne wears a red cloth and is adorned with garlands and a rudraksha-style necklace. Two priests in orange sit near the fire, one holding a long white ritual stick and another with hands folded in prayer. Brass lamps and a silver bowl stand beside a yellow-edged homa pit with flames and flower offerings. A white-walled stepped structure with red stripes forms the backdrop.

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October 15 20132013-10-15Night outdoor ritual at a homa fire pit in front of a golden arched shrine decorated with yellow and orange marigold garlands, with deity murtis visible inside. Four shaven-headed young boys in saffron and red-gold dhotis sit cross-legged on the platform facing the fire, while a priest in white dhoti and a white head turban tends the flames at left. A seated figure in saffron robes occupies an ornate red and gold throne at right, with a standing attendant in orange beside it and a woman in saffron nearby. A standing electric fan and a small pink and purple carpet are visible; smoke rises into the dark sky.2013-10-15Night ritual photograph at an outdoor stage before a golden shrine with a deity murti decorated with red and yellow flower garlands, its arched gold frame backed by a maroon cloth. A sacred fire burns in front of the murti, with brass oil lamps on either side. Several saffron-robed priests and attendants sit on a raised orange mat; a shaven-headed man in saffron stands at left and a man in an orange turban pours or offers material over the fire. Others sit at right on a gold-framed seat, one with hands folded in namaskar. Devotees in white sit at the bottom edge. Flower garlands, offering plates and a homa-style fire indicate a puja or homa.2013-11-04A nighttime homa at an open-air shrine, with a fire burning on a low platform in front of a golden arch framing a deity murti decorated with marigold garlands. Several saffron-robed monks sit cross-legged facing the fire, while a standing priest in orange garments leans over the platform. A woman in an orange sari with a gold border and a garland pours liquid from a vessel toward the fire, and another standing devotee in saffron with hands folded in prayer stands to the right beside a drum. Brass pots, flowers and a kalasha sit on the platform, and smoke rises above the scene.2013-10-16Night outdoor ritual at a golden shrine arch framing a decorated deity murti garlanded with yellow marigolds, seated on a purple-draped platform with stepped white and red-striped walls behind. In front, a square fire pit (homa kunda) sits on a white stone base edged with marigold garlands. Six young sannyasi-style men in orange-saffron cloths and rudraksha malas sit cross-legged on mats around it; several have white and ash markings on their foreheads and arms, and one in white dhoti wears a white shawl. Brass vessels and a tray of offerings rest near them. The scene reads as a homa-style puja.2013-12-19 +1 copiesOctober 15 20132013-10-15Night outdoor ritual on a raised platform: a homa fire burns in front of a decorated deity shrine with a gold arch, flower garlands and yellow marigold offerings. Several shaved-headed sannyasis in orange robes sit and stand around the fire, one in red robes sits centrally facing it. A priest in white dhoti stands at the shrine side. On the right, a seated woman in orange robes sits on a red-and-gold throne-style chair holding a small offering, a standing attendant in orange beside her; a fan stands nearby and a devotee in white sits in the foreground. Cloth-covered yagna steps and a pot of offerings lie at the side.2013-10-15Night outdoor homa under a corrugated roof. A sacred fire blazes at centre before a gold arched shrine with garlanded deity murti and marigold garlands. Around the fire sit about six shaved-headed young men and boys in saffron/orange robes; one boy wears a red-and-gold cloth, and a priest in white dhoti with a white headwrap pours offerings. Seated on a red and gold throne at right, a person in orange robes and long hair watches; a standing attendant in orange stands nearby beside a fan. Blue and pink cloths drape the altar, and a brass vessel and dried leaves lie in front.2013-10-15December 19 20132013-12-19October 15 20132013-10-15December 19 20132013-12-19December 19 20132013-12-19 +3 copies