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Night outdoor ritual at a temple courtyard. In the foreground a tiered stone homa or fire pit is decorated with yellow and orange marigold garlands, scattered red kumkum and white flower petals, with brass vessels and offerings of bananas and fruit. Behind it, a priest bare-chested in a yellow dhoti holds a flame-like offering up with both hands while a second priest in white dhoti and a bare upper body with rudraksha-style beads stands nearby, and a third man in a red and white cloth assists. Brass lamps, a golden kalasha-type vessel and red-draped tables hold flowers and offerings. In the background a shrine with decorated deity murtis and white bulls stands under lights. People visible: four.

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March 02 20182018-03-02Night-time homa ritual in an open-air temple courtyard with a shallow fire pit in the foreground, ringed with marigold garlands and red flower petals. Several shirtless priests in white dhotis with yellow borders stand around the flames; one holds a small brass vessel and another raises a tapered ritual implement, while a third has hands folded in namaskar. To the far right an older man in a blue-bordered white dhoti tends a table draped in red and covered with flowers and fruit. Behind the fire, a shrine on the left holds a colourful deity murti framed by a decorated arch, and white scaffolding and pillars line the hall. Offering plates, a brass lamp, and a yellow cloth bundle sit on the ground.2018-03-02Night-time outdoor homa at a temple-style setting. In the foreground a bare-chested priest in white dhoti with a yellow-bordered cloth sits beside a flaming fire pit ringed with marigold and red flower garlands, pouring an offering from a small steel bowl. Behind him another priest in white dhoti and gold-bordered cloth stands tending the ceremony, and a third figure kneels at a second fire pit further back. A red-draped table holds flowers and petals, and fruit and brass vessels sit on the ground. Scaffolding and red curtains frame the scene.2018-03-02Night-time homa at an outdoor temple courtyard. Several priests in white dhotis and bare upper bodies stand around raised stone fire pits, one with a large flame. A priest in a yellow-and-white dhoti holds a ladle or offering over the central fire, while another with folded hands stands beside him. On the right, a golden deity murti or ornate image is decorated with red and yellow flower garlands, with fruits, coconuts and brass vessels arranged on a red-draped table. Marigold garlands line the fire platforms. Scaffolding and pillars frame the background, and a lit shrine is visible at left.2018-03-02A night-time puja at an outdoor ritual platform under a bamboo-scaffolded structure. A bald priest in white dhoti with orange shawl and rudraksha mala leans forward, lighting a brass aarti lamp before a golden deity murti decorated with red and white flowers and garlands. Behind him, several priests in white dhotis stand with hands folded or holding ritual objects, one in a blue-bordered dhoti at right. A man in orange robes kneels with hands joined at left. Offerings of fruit, flowers and brass vessels line the foreground steps and altar. Yellow marigold garlands decorate the stone steps, and red cloth covers the altar table. Approximately six people are visible.2018-03-02March 02 20182018-03-02December 07 20162016-12-07A night-time temple puja scene. In the foreground a bare-chested priest with a sacred-thread cord and a red cloth wrap stands before a golden deity murti garlanded with white and red flowers, holding a plate in his hands. Behind him stands an older man in white with a brass basin. Another bare-chested man in a white dhoti with a green border stands at the centre, and a figure in white stands at the far right. The altar is draped in red cloth with yellow and red flower petals, leaves and small brass vessels spread across it. Scaffolding and string lights are visible in the background.2018-03-02A photograph of an indoor ritual space under construction, with bare concrete columns, scaffolding and exposed ceiling beams. Several men in white dhotis and bare upper bodies stand around a low brick platform decorated with marigold garlands, yellow and red flower arrangements, brass vessels and offering plates. On the right, a priest in a saffron-and-white dhoti stands near a red-draped altar with a flower-covered deity murti and a gold-framed backdrop. Smoke rises through the hall. A man in a saffron-yellow dhoti stands on the left, another in a saffron wrap stands centre-left, and no figure is clearly identifiable as a person from appearance.2018-03-02Wide photograph of an open-sided hall with a steel roof and exposed bamboo scaffolding poles. In the foreground, a seated man in a red and gold garment and a flower garland sits on a gilded throne-like seat with a golden canopy. Beside him, a row of people in orange and saffron robes stand with hands folded. In the centre, a fire pit lined with brick and surrounded by flower garlands and offerings is being used for a homa. Behind it, priests in white dhotis and bare-chested devotees stand near a small shrine with a deity murti and red cloths. Brass vessels, fruit and yellow marigold garlands lie on red-covered tables at right, and a few white offering sheets lie on the ground.2018-03-02Night-time outdoor homa at a temple courtyard: a large fire burns in a square, flower-garlanded fire pit (kund) with marigold and red flower garlands around its rim. Several priests in white dhotis and shawls stand around the pit; one bare-chested priest in an orange-yellow dhoti holds a ritual vessel and another in white performs offerings, while one with folded hands stands nearby. A bare-chested man with folded hands and a shaved head stands at right beside a golden-framed deity murti decorated with flower garlands on a red-draped platform. Fruits, coconuts, brass plates and kalasha-type vessels are arranged on the ground, with scaffolding and pillars behind. No one visible with distinctive a person cues is identifiable from appearance, so no candidate is marked.2018-03-02Night-time ritual at an open-sided pavilion with bright floodlights and smoke drifting through the air. Several bare-chested priests in white dhotis work at ceremonial tables covered with flower garlands, marigolds and red rose petals, with brass kalasha pots, lamps and coconuts arranged on yellow-painted bases. A priest in white pours from a vessel onto a heap of red flowers while another sits cross-legged nearby. A man in an orange cloth and orange turban stands near an ornate gold throne-like seat draped in orange fabric. Other men in white dhotis and garlands stand behind the ritual area, and a bare-chested man in an orange dhoti stands at right beside a gold-coloured brass structure.2017-05-10