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A photograph of a large open fire burning on a low stone platform, with thick white smoke rising from cow dung cakes being purified in a Siddha ritual. On the left, a bare-chested young man in an orange dhoti and orange cloth over one shoulder wears layered beaded necklaces and stands near the flames. On the right, a seated man wears a maroon garment, a white turban-like headwrap, a gold chain and armbands, and tends the smoke with his hands. Behind him a woman in a teal sari stands beside a silver-rimmed lamp stand. A brass vessel and a silver bowl sit at the edges of the frame.

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August 08 20172017-08-08 +1 copiesA photograph of a large burning fire pit on a low stone platform, with bright flames and rising white smoke rising from piled cowdung cakes. Behind the fire, a bare-chested man in a rust-orange cloth sits cross-legged, wearing a white headband and a patterned armband, with a smoke-filled backdrop. To the left, a standing figure in orange robes, a pink headcloth and beaded necklaces holds a cloth. Brass vessels and a silver lamp stand nearby, and two women in teal and blue saris stand at the right edge. The scene shows a smoke purification rite with burning cowdung.2017-08-31A large fire burns on a low stone platform, with cow dung cakes stacked and smoke rising thickly. On the left, a young man in orange robes and an orange head wrap, with multiple strands of beads around his neck, stands near the fire. Behind the flames, a bare-chested man with a light headscarf and a red-brown cloth around his waist sits at the fire and tends it with his hands. A woman in a teal sari stands in the background beside a microphone and a lamp stand. On the right, a metal vessel and a silver plate with a lit oil lamp sit beside the fire. The scene shows a homa or yagna rite in progress.2017-08-31A large fire blazes on a wooden platform in the foreground, with tall orange flames and rising smoke rising from a heap of dark cowdung cakes. In the background at right, a bare-chested man in a maroon cloth wraps a shawl over his shoulders and sits with hands near a brass vessel, appearing to be a priest or ritual participant. Several people sit blurred in the dim left background, some in red and white clothing. Brass plates and bowls lie on the floor and a silver vessel sits at right. A woven red and blue cloth lies at lower left.2017-08-31A fire ritual at night: a tall flame rises from a wood fire pit (homa) on a wooden platform with a yellow edge and dry straw at its base. A young man in a white dhoti-style cloth and a beige turban holds a stick toward the fire, wearing a long rudraksha mala and bangles. Beside him, a second person in an orange-saffron garment with a rudraksha mala looks toward the flames, and another figure stands behind the fire in the smoke. The background is dark and smoky.2013-10-15Photograph of a night ritual in a pavilion, with thick white smoke rising from a fire pit of cowdung cakes in the left foreground. A bare-chested priest at left sits with palms pressed together toward the smoke. A seated figure at right wears an ornate silver crown, rudraksha beads, bangles and a saffron-orange wrap, with hands at the chin and a long dark braid. He sits on a silver chair beside a silver tray holding a lamp and offerings. Other seated devotees in orange garments and a few onlookers sit in the background, with orange cushions and a small oil lamp on the floor.2017-08-31August 31 20172017-08-31A homa fire ceremony inside a pavilion with a red and white draped ceiling. Tall flames rise from a yellow-painted fire pit edged with white lines. Two young priests in saffron-orange dhotis and matching turbans sit at left; one feeds bundled sticks and the other pours from a bowl. A bare-chested figure in a grey-white ash-smeared appearance stands behind the flames with an orange turban, with flame glow around him. Behind them, several bare-chested men in white dhotis stand in the background, with a deity murti visible near the back, and a speaker stand at right. Brass bowls, a kalasha and oil lamps sit on the fire platform.2017-09-24 +1 copiesSeptember 24 20172017-09-24October 07 20132013-10-07August 08 20172017-08-08August 31 20172017-08-31