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Night ritual under a canopy with coloured streamers and hanging lamps. A man in white dhoti with an orange headband and rudraksha-style beaded necklace leans over a wooden platform, pouring liquid into a carved wooden box. Nearby, a bare-chested man in white dhoti and yellow-trimmed shawl stands beside a bell, and other men and women in white and yellow attire sit or stand around the altar. The platform holds bananas, fruit, flower garlands, a golden kalasha-like vessel draped in orange cloth, and small bowls. Behind, a decorated deity murti is visible at the right edge. A green banana plant and a brass lamp stand complete the scene.

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December 05 20162016-12-05December 05 20162016-12-05Night-time ritual under a white tent with pink trim and bright floodlights. A yellow-gold fire altar with a burning flame sits in front, decorated with red petals. Behind it a seated figure on a red-cushioned throne is garlanded with white flowers and wears a beaded necklace; this figure is a deity murti or seated person, not clearly identifiable. Priests in white dhotis with colourful borders stand near the fire; one bare-chested man in white and one in orange-and-white cloth assist. Flower arrangements, a brass kalasha, and oil lamps lie on a striped mat in the foreground. Several people in orange and red clothing stand in the background, and a man in an orange shawl holding a flower garland stands at the right edge, indicating a homa or puja ceremony.2017-08-22Photograph of a ritual inside a canopied hall decorated with hanging colourful lanterns and fabric streamers. In the foreground, a shirtless priest in white dhoti with orange and yellow bordered cloth stands at a wooden homa or puja platform, while another priest in a yellow-bordered dhoti tends oil lamps and burning flames. A tray in front holds fruit, flowers and a leaf-plate of offerings. Behind them, seated devotees in white and a figure in red-and-gold dress sit before a golden throne-like seat with a sunburst backdrop. Floral garlands and ornate ritual objects are visible on the platform.2016-12-12Night photograph of a ritual under a white tented pavilion with pink trim. A bare-chested priest in an orange and yellow shawl and white dhoti stands at a gold-coloured rectangular vessel or stone trough, sprinkling pink flower petals into it. Around him, several men in white dhotis and layered beaded necklaces stand with hands folded or holding offerings, one with a striped sash. Brass oil lamps, steel bowls, small pots and yellow marigold garlands sit on a multicoloured striped mat in the foreground. In the background, a seated figure in a red cushioned chair beneath an ornate gold canopy and fan is surrounded by saffron-robed devotees. Other people in orange robes stand nearby.2017-08-02A large tented hall with coloured paper streamers and lanterns hanging from the ceiling, filled with seated devotees in white. In the centre, a wooden homa fire pit stands on a red carpet scattered with flower petals. Two priests in white dhotis, one bare-chested and wearing a saffron shawl, stand beside the pit; a woman in a white cloth with a saffron wrap stands behind them and another woman in a yellow cloth sits in front. On the right, a seated figure in red and gold robes, wearing a garland and a black crown-like headpiece, sits on a gilded throne under a multicoloured parasol, flanked by attendants. Brass pots of fruit, flowers and lamps are arranged in the foreground, and a camera crew films the ritual. Identity of the figure on the throne is uncertain from appearance alone.2016-12-05A tented hall decorated with hanging colourful tassels, paper lanterns and oil lamps shows a fire ritual in progress. A bare-chested priest in white dhoti with a striped border, wearing an orange cloth and a flower garland, leans over a wooden homa fire pit on a red carpet, lighting it with a flame while offerings of fruit, flowers and brass vessels surround the pit. Two men in white dhoti stand at left, one speaking into a microphone, others with hands folded. Behind them a large seated crowd, many men bare-chested in white, sits in rows. On the right a seated figure in saffron-orange robes wears a crown-like headdress, rudraksha-style beads and a white flower garland, seated on a gold-and-red throne. The scene reads as a homa with puja offerings.2016-12-05A homa or yagna fire pit, a raised square brick-and-plaster structure decorated with flower petals, is the central subject, with flames rising from it under a white tented pavilion hung with colourful paper lanterns. Several young men in white dhotis, bare-chested, some wearing yellow or orange shawls and rudraksha-style necklaces, stand and kneel around the pit; one bends forward pouring or placing an offering. A seated figure at right sits on a gold ornate throne decorated with sun-ray motifs, wearing an orange-red robe, a red headwrap, a garland of white and yellow flowers and beaded necklaces. Seated devotees in white cover the floor on striped cloth mats, and brass pots and offering bowls sit near the pit.2016-12-12December 12 20162016-12-12December 07 20162016-12-07December 07 20162016-12-07Night-time ritual under a white tent with pink-trimmed edges and string lights. In the foreground a bare-chested priest in an orange-yellow cloth and a yellow head wrap pours liquid from a small silver cup into a wooden fire pit with flower petals scattered around its edges, while smoke rises. Beside him a man in white dhoti with blue and white border and gold chains stands watching, and a bowed assistant with a yellow head cloth is at the right edge. Behind them a seated figure in red-brown robes and gold necklaces sits on an ornate gold-and-red throne with a golden canopy, flanked by standing devotees in orange and red garments and a seated audience. Striped mats and a brass vessel are on the floor.2017-08-02