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Night photograph of a homa ritual on an outdoor platform. Three bare-chested priests stand at right in white dhotis with orange-gold shawls, hands folded in prayer, with white sacred markings on their arms and chests. At left, a figure with a blue turban and crimson garland is seen from behind, wearing a white dhoti and magenta-gold silk cloth, holding offerings on a tray. A brick fire pit burns with flames, surrounded by marigold petals, and brass oil lamps sit on the ground. A white table with coconuts and fruit stands behind, with a white railing and dark foliage beyond. Several audience heads are visible at the bottom edge.

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December 23 20152015-12-23Night photo of a ritual homa at an outdoor stage with white railing and dark trees behind. Four priests stand around a white-draped table: the priest at left, seen from behind, wears a blue turban with a flower, a white dhoti and an orange shawl; the next wears an orange shawl and bare chest with beads; the third, holding a silver lamp with flames and an orange shawl, stands centre; the fourth at right wears white dhoti and striped shawl with bare upper body and sacred markings. A brick fire pit with burning flames and marigold offerings sits in front, with oil lamps on the table and a steel bowl. Audience heads are visible at the bottom edge.2015-12-23Night outdoor ritual homa at a fire pit lined with brick and marigold offerings. Three bare-chested men in white dhotis with saffron-orange shawls stand with palms pressed together, facing the flames. Nearby, a priest seen from behind wears a blue turban with a pink flower and a magenta-and-gold silk shawl, standing before a white-draped table holding coconuts, fruit and a kalasha-like vessel. Oil lamps stand at the edge, a white railing and dark foliage behind. No identifiable a person candidate is clearly present.2015-12-23Night outdoor fire ritual, a homa with a bright open flame rising from a pile of wood and offerings at the lower left. A standing priest with a shaved head and a bare chest wears a white dhoti with a red-and-gold sash and bows with palms pressed together in namaskar. Beside him another man in orange-toned dhoti stands with bare chest and bead necklace. A seated devotee at right wears a pink turban, layered white rudraksha and flower garlands, and holds a rudraksha mala while looking down at the fire. Yellow and orange marigold flowers, potted plants, a brass bowl and a golden deity murti or ornate altar stand at the sides, with a row of people watching from the background and a tall building and lights at night.2016-09-09December 23 20152015-12-23 +1 copiesNight-time homa at an open-air temple pavilion. In the foreground a large fire burns in a tiered yagna kunda decorated with marigold garlands and red kumkum. Behind it a priest in white dhoti with a saffron-and-gold shawl holds a vessel over the flames and offers oblations, while a second priest in cream dhoti with a gold border holds a bundle of kusha grass beside him. At right a man in a saffron dhoti with a red rudraksha mala and bare chest, hands folded in anjali, stands by a table of flowers and offerings. Behind them more white-clad priests tend additional fire pits under bamboo-supported roofing, with a deity shrine lit at the back. Coconuts, flowers and brass pots sit on the ground.2018-03-02March 02 20182018-03-02A night ritual fire ceremony under a open-sided structure with exposed steel beams and white columns. In the foreground a bare-chested priest in a white dhoti with a gold-bordered cloth holds up a golden kalasha pot while a fire blazes on a low pit. Beside him a priest in a white dhoti with yellow borders holds a ritual item, and on the right a bare-chested man in a yellow-and-blue waistcloth presses his palms together in prayer, wearing a red-beaded necklace. Garlands of red and white flowers lie near the fire, and other ritual participants stand behind in the background. This appears to be a homa or yagna ceremony.2018-03-02A homa fire burns in a flower-decorated enclosure with marigold and white garlands hanging on the left. Several men in ritual dress stand around the flames: a bare-chested man in orange cloth holds a woven basket, another in orange and red wrap holds a brass vessel, and a bare-chested man in yellow dhoti pours from a metal pot. A bearded man in a yellow dhoti with a purple sash and rudraksha beads stands at right, with white-clad attendants and onlookers behind a woven bamboo backdrop. Offerings of flowers lie near the fire pit.2007-02-02Night photo of a homa fire ritual at an open temple courtyard. In the centre, a bare-chested priest in white dhoti with a gold-and-saffron cloth draped over the shoulder holds a silver vessel with a coconut and fruit toward a stone fire pit with bright flames and flower garlands. Beside him, another priest in a white dhoti with yellow borders holds ritual items and performs the offering. At right, a priest with folded palms wears red beads and a yellow-and-blue dhoti. Brass pots, marigold garlands and red offerings lie around the fire, and a shrine with deity murti and wooden pillars with bamboo scaffolding stands behind. Several more priests in white are visible at left.2018-03-02March 06 20162016-03-06 +1 copiesNight homa ceremony under a open-sided pavilion lit by bright lamps. A tiered yellow fire pit with a flame and white and pink flower garlands around its edges is the focus in front. A bare-chested priest in white dhoti with rudraksha mala pours an offering, while a bare-chested assistant in white dhoti stands at left holding a small vessel. Seated on a gold-backed red throne-style seat, a figure in deep red-brown robes with long hair, rudraksha malas and a gold necklace has his hands folded in prayer. A seated attendant in yellow turban and yellow-and-white dhoti holds a ritual item beside floral offerings and bananas. Several other attendants in orange and saffron cloths stand or sit behind, and a ceremonial fan rests nearby.2017-08-02