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A photograph of an outdoor evening puja at a temple-style shrine with orange walls. A priest in white dhoti and shawl stands at left, hands raised in prayer, beside a white marble havan/homa pit with brass vessels, lamps and offering plates. Behind them a tall murti of a goddess with multiple arms, white and red garlands, and a lion mount stands among smaller deity figures and decorated umbrellas. Brass oil lamps, flower garlands and a red-and-gold chair are in front. Smoke drifts under a metal roof hung with colourful festoons.

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October 15 20102010-10-15A shaved-headed priest in white dhoti and bare upper body kneels with palms joined in prayer before a black-topped white stone altar during a puja. Behind him stands a richly decorated shrine with a large image of a goddess with multiple arms and a Ganesha figure, surrounded by ornate umbrellas, white floral garlands and brass lamps. Standing to the left are a woman in a pale yellow sari and three men in white shirts and dhotis, also with hands folded. Offerings of fruit, lemons, bananas, brass bowls and a bell lie on the altar cloth in front.2010-10-15A homa ritual in a temple hall at night. A shaved-headed priest in white dhoti and a white upper cloth, wearing a gold-coloured necklace, sits with joined palms beside a square white fire pit, fire trench empty of flame. Behind him a row of deity murtis stand under a tall decorated canopy, including a goddess with many arms holding weapons and a lion mount, and a gilded and white-adorned figure garlanded in red. Brass oil lamps, a kalasha-style brass vessel and trays of fruit (apples, oranges, limes, bananas) sit on white cloth in the foreground. Four men in white and yellow dhotis and shirts stand watching at the left. Saffron-orange drapery frames the scene.2010-10-15October 15 20102010-10-15October 15 20102010-10-15A photograph of a homa or fire ritual in a temple hall beside a row of deity murtis, including a goddess figure in white and red with a multi-armed form. A priest in white dhoti and shirt with a maroon border kneels and tends a square fire pit, with smoke rising. Standing behind him to the left are several men in white kurtas and a man in a khaki shirt with a lanyard, watching. Brass oil lamps, kalashas, brass plates of offerings, bananas, and an umbrella canopy with a tassel frame the altar, and orange and multicolour banners hang from the roof. No a person candidate is visible.2010-10-15A photograph of a homa or yagna fire pit, a rectangular stone fire altar with a dark basin, in a temple-style shrine decorated with white and gold floral arrangements. A shaven-headed priest in white dhoti and shawl with gold beads kneels at the altar with hands folded in namaste, holding a small brass bowl and a ladle-like spoon. Behind the altar stands a large deity murti of Durga riding a lion with many arms, flanked by smaller murtis of Ganesha in pink and gold, and other goddesses. Oil lamps, brass lamps, kalasha-style offerings and a bell-like object sit on the altar, with a second devotee in white standing at the upper left. Colourful umbrella canopies and orange cloth hang behind the shrine.2010-10-15Night-time puja at an outdoor shrine with a tin roof and orange-and-white festive bunting. A bald priest in a white dhoti and shawl stands barefoot before a square white homa/yagna fire pit, holding an object to his mouth. Behind the pit, a row of deity murti are dressed in white floral garlands, with a large white umbrella canopy above them and a tiger/lion vahana near the center. A woman in a yellow sari and a man in white stand to the left. Brass oil lamps, a kalasha-like vessel, bananas, fruit, and metal offering bowls surround the altar.2010-10-15October 15 20102010-10-15A priest in white dhoti with a bare upper body and a gold chain sits cross-legged on a mat before a square white marble homa fire pit, holding a ladle or spoon over it. Behind the pit stands a large deity murti of Durga, with multiple arms holding weapons, riding a lion, framed by white lace-like arches and flanked by smaller murtis of Ganesha and other deities. Brass lamps, a kalasha, bowls and a tray of offerings sit on red cloth. Strings of small lights and red-and-gold hangings decorate the hall, and smoke rises through the scene. Another white-clad priest sits at right, and a few more devotees are partly visible in the background.2010-10-12A photograph of a temple ritual in a covered hall before a shrine of several goddess and deity murtis draped in white garlands, with white umbrellas above and lit brass oil lamps in front. A shaved-headed man in white dhoti and shawl, with a gold beaded necklace, stands at a square fire pit, holding a small offering dish. Beside him a man in a white kurta and dhoti stands with folded hands, and a person in white bends forward at the left edge, tending items on the floor. Brass pots, bowls and a small lamp sit on the white pit edge. Multicoloured hanging decorations and orange flags hang from the roof.2010-10-15A night-time ritual at a homa or yagna pit: a shaven-headed priest in white dhoti and shawl with a rudraksha-style necklace sits cross-legged before a square white-edged fire pit, hands folded in namaskar. Behind him a woman in a pale yellow sari and three men in white stand with hands joined, one holding a camera. Brass plates of mangoes, bananas, lemons, apples and coconuts lie on a white cloth in the foreground, with brass lamps and kalasha vessels nearby. Behind the pit is a large deity murti group with a goddess in red and white adornments, a lion, and smaller figures decorated with white flower garlands under a fringed canopy.2010-10-15