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Night ritual in a temple hall with smoke in the air. A shaved-headed man in a red-brown dhoti and bare chest kneels at left, tending a copper fire vessel with burning flames. Seated centre-right, a figure in orange-red robes wears a long rudraksha mala and a gold necklace, with a turban-like head covering, holding a small brass vessel. Another seated figure in red-orange cloth with a long rudraksha-style garland and a dark head wrap sits beside a silver-backed throne-like chair. In front lie brass lamps, a stone mortar and pestle set, and silver vahana figures decorated with flowers. Seated devotees in orange and saffron clothing and a woman in a green sari watch behind. Striped cloth covers the floor. A fire ritual is in progress.

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October 08 20172017-10-08October 08 20172017-10-08October 08 20172017-10-08October 08 20172017-10-08Night ritual at a temple-like hall with a fire pit. A bearded man in orange-red dhoti and shawl on the left pours from a vessel into a large bronze bowl holding a blazing flame. A central seated man wears an orange-red wrap, a large gold pendant necklace, a rudraksha-style mala and a patterned turban, and extends his hand over the fire. Behind them, a woman in a red sari and garlands sits among devotees in saffron and white. In front, silver ratha-style miniature vahanas and figures with flower garlands and a silver peetha-style canopy are arranged on striped cloth, with mortars, small brass vessels, lemons and a lit oil lamp. This appears to be a homa with offerings.2017-10-08A night-time homa at an outdoor ritual platform. In the centre, a man in saffron robes, a rudraksha mala, a gold necklace and a patterned turban sits behind a silver-framed deity vahana carriage, holding a small lamp, with a flame burning near him. To the left a shaved-headed priest in an orange-brown dhoti pours from a silver vessel. Behind, a second robed figure tends a large bronze fire pit whose flames rise. Silver peetha and vahana figures decorated with white flower garlands line the right side, alongside brass pots, a kalasha and lamps on a striped cloth. Several dozen seated devotees and attendants in saffron and white fill the background, and a banner hangs near the top right.2017-10-08A photograph of a ritual inside a temple hall with garlanded deity murti behind. A bearded man in a black turban and white body paint, wearing a pink flower garland and a red-brown dhoti, sits cross-legged before a small silver ritual setup with a silver kalasha-like vessel and oil lamps, with a wooden stand between him and a second priest. A younger man in an orange cloth and a turbaned priest in maroon kneel on colourful woven cloths, one holding a lamp or offering, amid smoke and a plate of kumkum and flowers. Garlands drape the stone murtis around them. The scene suggests a homa or puja.2018-01-31October 08 20172017-10-08Night-time homa ceremony in a open pavilion with red carpeting and a wooden fire pit at centre, flames and smoke rising. A man in a red dhoti and garland of white flowers sits on a gold-and-red throne behind the fire pit, his hand raised, with a kneeling attendant beside him. Priests in white dhotis, some with bare chests and orange cloths, sit or stand around the pit with ladles and offerings. Devotees in saris and white garments stand behind, and plates of fruit, flowers and kalasha pots surround the fire. Banana plants and a gold canopy frame the scene. a person: the seated figure on the throne wears a red dhoti, a white flower garland and long dark hair, with ceremonial gold adornments visible.2016-12-05October 08 20172017-10-08Night photograph of a fire ritual in a temple courtyard. A seated man in saffron-orange robes, wearing a tall decorated crown-like headpiece, a rudraksha mala and an ornate gold pendant necklace, extends his hand toward a large bronze vessel of burning fire. Beside him a priest in orange robes and a rudraksha mala tends the flames, while a bare-chested assistant in a dhoti pours from a silver vessel. Rows of silver animal-shaped vahana stands with flower garlands line the foreground on a striped cloth, along with brass bowls, a small oil lamp and a kalasha-like container. Devotees in white and red clothes watch from behind.2017-10-08A seated man in an orange-saffron dhoti-style wrap and matching shawl, wearing a heavy gold necklace and a rudraksha-style beaded mala, a patterned headband and bangles, tends a small flame in a brass vessel filled with offerings during an evening puja. Silver items, a silver peetha or chair, a brass lamp stand, a small silver deity murti, a bronze figure and mortar-and-pestle style stone vessels are arranged on a striped mat in front of a shrine decorated with flowers and bright hangings. A fan and a lit pathway appear behind.2017-10-08