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Night outdoor ritual at a temple-style ground with several yellow brick altars arranged on sandy earth. Each altar holds kalashas or coconuts wrapped with blue and white cloth and decorated with white flowers, pink blossoms and fruit, with brass oil lamps and lamp stands nearby. Several men in white dhotis sit or stand at the altars performing a puja; one wears a red-and-white cloth over his shoulder and another stands at the right in an orange-and-white striped shawl and white dhoti. A tall standing figure at the top centre holds a ritual implement. Strings of blue lights hang in the background and a small fire lamp glows. Some devotees sit on the ground in the periphery.

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Night-time outdoor ritual under a blue-framed tarpaulin canopy on bare red earth. Several bare-chested men in white dhotis perform homa-style worship at multiple square yellow brick altars arranged with banana-leaf offerings, pots, fruits, marigold and white flower garlands, and small brass oil lamps. A central man in a red cloth sits cross-legged at the front, another in an orange cloth sits at right, and a standing man in white dhoti with a white-and-orange wrap holds a brass plate. Blue fairy lights glow in the background.2017-03-11March 11 20172017-03-11Night outdoor ritual at a park-like ground with stone pillars and string lights. Several men sit on the sand in a row, bare-chested in white dhotis with rudraksha malas. The man in the centre wears an orange turban and holds offerings, and a second man in an orange-tinged wrap and a third in a yellow turban also sit nearby. Yellow-painted brick homa/yagna fire pits burn with flames in the foreground, surrounded by fruits, marigolds, bananas and flower-garlanded kalasha-style offerings wrapped with white and pink ribbons. A golden peetha/throne with a deity murti and flower garlands stands behind them, and a camera on a tripod is visible in the background.2017-05-10Night outdoor ritual under a corrugated roof at Nithyananda Peetham, Tiruvannamalai. Several priests in white dhotis sit or kneel at long low tables lined with brass vessels, banana leaves, flower garlands, fruit baskets and yellow-and-red packets. A smoking fire pit in the centre suggests a homa or yagna. A shirtless man in a white dhoti and orange shawl bends over the offerings at right, while a shirtless devotee with long hair and beads sits at lower right. Behind them, a golden-framed throne-like seat and flower-decorated altar stand beside a row of seated and standing white-clad participants under floodlights and trees.2017-05-10Night outdoor homa or yagna at an open-sided shed with blue metal framing and string lights. Several men in bare upper bodies and white dhotis kneel and stand around square yellow-brick fire pits decorated with flowers, petals, bananas, coconuts and fruit-filled baskets. Flames rise from the central pit as a shirtless man in a red head cloth pours from a vessel into the fire. A bundle of firewood sits in a brass pot in the foreground. Behind them, women in white saris and men in white and orange clothing stand in a large crowd.2017-03-11March 11 20172017-03-11Photograph 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.2016-10-16Night ritual at an open-air outdoor shrine with a long row of seated priests performing puja before tiered offerings of fruit, flowers and small kalasha-style vessels on banana leaves and low brick platforms. A man in the foreground sits with bare chest, white dhoti and orange cloth, a dark-haired young man with long matted hair and rudraksha mala looks over his shoulder. Smoke rises from the left, bright lights hang overhead, and a gilded ornate peetham or throne with orange drapery and flower garlands sits at the left edge. Standing devotees in white dhotis and shirts stand in the background near a metal railing, and a deity murti is visible at the right.2017-05-10Outdoor temple ritual setup on a sandy ground at night. Two ornate gilded arched canopies stand behind yellow-brick square fire pits (homa kundas) with brass and copper vessels, a small brass lamp and ritual implements arranged between them. Garlands of white flowers and green leaves decorate the canopies and the central offering platform, where mangoes, coconuts and bananas sit in woven baskets on banana leaves. Embroidered cloths in red, yellow and white lie on silver-plated seats. Partially visible figures in orange-red dhotis stand at the top edge, and a bare-chested figure is at the upper right; they are only partly in frame. Green leaves are scattered on the ground.2017-06-08Night ritual under an open corrugated-roof shelter lit by bright floodlights, with smoke rising from a central fire pit. Priests in white dhotis, some bare-chested with sacred threads, perform a homa or puja over a long row of decorated kalasha pots wrapped in purple and white ribbons, banana-leaf offerings, yellow sweets, fruit and flower garlands. A figure in a saffron cloth with a red-orange turban stands at the table's far end, and a long-haired figure in saffron sits at the lower right. Behind them, many white-clad people stand under the trees, and at the right a golden ornate palanquin-style throne or deity frame is visible near a metal railing.2017-05-10May 10 20172017-05-10Night-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.2018-03-02