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A photograph of a Vedic fire ritual. A bare-chested priest with a yellow-and-brown turban, rudraksha-style gold necklaces and a green-and-white cloth over his shoulder holds a brass kalasha-style vessel above a large flaming homa fire pit. The yellow brick fire altar is decorated with pink flower petals. Behind him seated participants in white and red-bordered garments, with orange tilak marks on their foreheads, sit with palms pressed together in prayer. Several saffron-robed attendees stand in the background, and a young priest in orange cloth tends the fire. Brass bowls with grains and offerings rest on a cloth on the ground.

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A photograph of a Vedic Rudra homa in progress. A bare-chested priest with a yellow head wrap, rudraksha-style gold necklaces and a green checked cloth sits at a large fire pit with a tall flame, feeding offerings into it. Beside him a younger man in an orange shawl and gold necklaces assists at the fire. Behind them a crowd of participants sits on mats in white and red garments, several with orange tilak marks on their foreheads, many with hands joined in prayer. Rose petals and grains sit on the yellow-edged fire platform with brass bowls nearby. No individual is clearly identifiable as a person from appearance; the figures are shown as priests and devotees.2016-07-02Outdoor Vedic fire ritual (homa) in progress. A large flame rises from a yellow-brick fire pit decorated with pink flower petals, with brass vessels and offerings on a striped cloth. A priest in white dhoti and green shawl, bare-chested with rudraksha beads and a gold chain, feeds the fire. A second priest in white dhoti with a purple border and orange-and-gold shawl kneels with folded hands. Behind them, a seated crowd in white and red-orange shawls and saffron robes watches with palms pressed together, and some people have tilak marks on their foreheads. No figure with distinctive a person presentation cues is clearly identifiable.2016-07-02A Vedic Rudra homa is underway outdoors before a large seated gathering. In the centre, a bare-chested priest with a saffron-and-white turban and a green-and-gold sash pours an offering from a small vessel into a brick fire pit where flames rise high. Beside him, another bare-chested priest in white dhoti with a pink-and-purple shawl holds his hands together in prayer. At right stands a young assistant in an orange-brown shawl and rudraksha mala beside an ornately decorated altar with carved figures and flower garlands. Brass lamps, offering bowls and baskets of grains sit on the ground. Behind them, rows of devotees in white with red shawls sit or stand, many with palms joined.2016-07-02 +1 copiesJuly 02 20162016-07-02A photograph of a Rudra Homa fire ritual outdoors on green mats. A large fire burns on a stepped altar of yellow-painted bricks decorated with red flower petals. Two priests in white dhotis sit bare-chested at the fire; the front priest wears a yellow turban, a golden garland and a green-and-white sacred thread, and holds a ladle over the offerings. Behind them a seated crowd in white clothes and red-orange shawls watches; several participants fold their hands in prayer. To the right stands a decorated shrine with a golden figure and offering plates, and metal vessels of grains and fruit sit in the foreground.2016-07-02Night outdoor homa ritual with a fire pit in the foreground, flames and smoke rising from a square altar decorated with flower garlands and offerings. Three men sit cross-legged at the fire: the man on the left wears an orange shawl over bare shoulders and a white dhoti, the central man wears a green cloth, a green headwrap and beaded necklaces with ash marks on his body and holds a ladle over a brass bowl, and the man on the right is bare-chested in a white dhoti with a gold chain. Behind them, a large seated gathering of roughly 50 people, mostly women, wears white clothes with red shawls and red lanyards; oil lamps and brass vessels sit on the ground at the altar's edge.2016-07-04 +1 copiesOutdoor homa ceremony at a temple courtyard. A large square fire pit lined with yellow marigold garlands and flower petals burns brightly in the foreground. A bare-chested priest in white dhoti with gold chains sits at the fire pit, and a man in saffron-orange garments and rudraksha beads raises one hand while speaking into a handheld microphone. Behind them, dozens of devotees sit on colourful striped mats, many in white with red shawls and others in saffron-orange, with a red shrine structure and palm trees behind. Brass vessels and offerings sit on the ground. A figure with long hair and a crown-like headpiece sits near the front.2016-02-16 +1 copiesJuly 04 20162016-07-04February 16 20162016-02-16 +1 copiesA fire ritual in progress: a large tiered brick altar with red, pink and green painted patterns and scattered rose petals holds a blazing fire with smoke rising. Two priests sit close to the fire; one in the centre wears a green cloth on his head and green waist cloth, and a rudraksha-style mala, pouring from a brass vessel. The second priest on the right is bare-chested with white dhoti, beaded necklace and white markings on his body. Behind them a seated crowd in white clothes with orange-red shawls and lanyards fills the hall. Brass bowls, flower garlands, fruit and an oil lamp lie on the floor to the right, indicating a homa or yagna.2016-07-04Outdoors on a lawn, a homa fire burns inside a brick fire pit built from stacked reddish bricks. A person in an orange robe with an orange turban, large earrings, and beaded necklaces sits at right, holding a metal ladle or bowl over the fire. Around them, seated devotees watch: a woman in a red shawl and dark-red top holds a small offering near the flames, a bearded man in an orange jacket sits behind, and others wear white, red and grey wraps. A brass kalasha pot with green leaves sits at the left edge, and silver ritual vessels rest near the fire.2014-01-11Outdoor Rudra homa fire ritual. A bare-chested priest in a yellow head cloth and white dhoti, wearing a rudraksha mala and gold beaded necklace, feeds offerings into a large flame rising from a pit built of stacked yellow-ochre bricks decorated with red flower petals. Behind him, a crowd of dozens of people in white clothes and red shawls sit in rows, many with orange forehead marks and orange lanyards. Brass vessels, a basket of grain, flowers and fruit lie on a green cloth in the foreground. A few people in white stand at the back of the crowd.2016-07-02