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A fire ritual. A brick fire pit with flames rises at right, decorated with flower petals and marigolds. Four men sit cross-legged around it: three wear saffron/orange cloths with gold necklaces and bare shoulders, and the man at left has a shaved head with tilak and white dhoti with gold border. A young boy in white dhoti and white shawl with gold necklace sits behind, wearing glasses. Brass bowls of grains, yellow powder, and offerings sit on the cloth, and a vessel of ghee and ladles lie nearby. Behind them, a crowd of seated devotees watches, including a man in red shirt photographing with a camera on a tripod.

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Photograph of an evening homa at an outdoor ritual site. A brick fire pit with burning flames sits on a pink cloth, surrounded by yellow flower garlands, offerings and a silver bowl. Three priests sit on the ground: one in white dhoti with a plain upper body and gold chain, one in orange robes with gold necklaces and bangles, and a shaved-headed younger priest in white with gold necklace and spectacles. Behind them seated devotees watch, including a woman in blue sari and a cameraman in a red shirt with a camera on a tripod.2011-11-10Outdoor fire ritual at night: a brick-lined homa fire pit with flames rising at its right edge, decorated with white flower petals and leaves. Four priests sit on the ground at the left. Three wear saffron-orange cloths and rudraksha or gold necklaces, one reaches over the pit to pour an offering; a bald man in a white dhoti and sacred ash marks sits in the foreground with a bowl. Silver and steel bowls of rice, yellow and green preparations, and fruit line the offering table, with yellow and red flower garlands at the lower right. Spectators and a cameraman stand in the background.2011-11-10November 10 20112011-11-10November 10 20112011-11-10November 10 20112011-11-10Night outdoor ritual at a homa fire pit built of stacked yellow-brown bricks decorated with white and marigold flowers. A shaved-headed man in saffron-orange robes, rudraksha mala and gold necklace pours an offering from a silver ladle into a metal bowl at the fire. Beside him a second shaved-headed man in orange and gold ornaments sits with folded hands. Behind them a woman in a white and gold sari and other devotees in orange and white watch, with oil lamps and a gold-trimmed shrine glowing in the background.2011-11-10Night outdoor ritual photograph. In the foreground, a bald priest in orange robes and gold-bead malas reaches toward a silver bowl on a row of stacked bricks scattered with white flower petals, a lit oil lamp and lemon halves. Beside him, a priest in orange and a man in white with folded hands sit cross-legged. Behind them, women in white and yellow saris stand or sit, with strings of lights, a green and gold cloth draped over a table, and a brass pot at left. A large round wooden disc stands behind the seated priests.2011-11-10November 10 20112011-11-10November 10 20112011-11-10Night outdoor ritual photograph at a temple-style setting. Three men sit on the ground before a brick platform strewn with flowers and leaves, with a small oil lamp burning on the platform. The central man wears an orange saffron cloth draped over his body, a garland of beads around his neck and gold-toned bangles; he holds his hands outstretched over a silver bowl. Beside him, a man in an orange robe with a bead necklace sits with palms pressed together in namaskar, and at the right a man in a white dhoti with a white upper cloth and a white tilak on his forehead also has palms pressed together. A decorated deity murti with garlands and flowers stands at the left under a canopy, with women in saris and onlookers in the background, and string lights glow in the trees.2011-11-10Night outdoor homa at a brick fire pit (kund) decorated with marigold garlands and white flower petals. A shaven-headed man in saffron-orange robes and a rudraksha-style necklace sits cross-legged, extending his right hand over the fire. Beside him, a second man in orange with a beaded necklace sits with palms joined, and a third man in white dhoti with a tilak and gold necklaces sits with hands folded in prayer. Behind them, devotees stand and watch, some in white and colourful saris, near a gold-framed deity murti decorated with flowers and a silver bowl of fruit and offerings. Strings of lights glow in the background.2011-11-10November 10 20112011-11-10