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Night-time ritual at an open-sided pavilion with bright floodlights and smoke drifting through the air. Several bare-chested priests in white dhotis work at ceremonial tables covered with flower garlands, marigolds and red rose petals, with brass kalasha pots, lamps and coconuts arranged on yellow-painted bases. A priest in white pours from a vessel onto a heap of red flowers while another sits cross-legged nearby. A man in an orange cloth and orange turban stands near an ornate gold throne-like seat draped in orange fabric. Other men in white dhotis and garlands stand behind the ritual area, and a bare-chested man in an orange dhoti stands at right beside a gold-coloured brass structure.

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May 10 20172017-05-10May 10 20172017-05-10Night-time outdoor homa at an ashram, with two fire pits burning amid heaps of marigold and rose flowers, banana leaves, fruit, coconuts and brass vessels. Several bare-chested men in white dhotis and orange or saffron cloths sit around the fire pits and offerings, one wearing a saffron head-wrap and a rudraksha mala. Behind them, more men in white dhotis and white shirts stand near a raised platform, and a bare-chested man in an orange cloth holds up an offering. Smoke drifts through strings of lights and trees in the background.2017-05-10Night ritual at an open-air outdoor shrine with a long row of seated priests performing puja before tiered offerings of fruit, flowers and small kalasha-style vessels on banana leaves and low brick platforms. A man in the foreground sits with bare chest, white dhoti and orange cloth, a dark-haired young man with long matted hair and rudraksha mala looks over his shoulder. Smoke rises from the left, bright lights hang overhead, and a gilded ornate peetham or throne with orange drapery and flower garlands sits at the left edge. Standing devotees in white dhotis and shirts stand in the background near a metal railing, and a deity murti is visible at the right.2017-05-10Night ritual under an open corrugated-roof shelter lit by bright floodlights, with smoke rising from a central fire pit. Priests in white dhotis, some bare-chested with sacred threads, perform a homa or puja over a long row of decorated kalasha pots wrapped in purple and white ribbons, banana-leaf offerings, yellow sweets, fruit and flower garlands. A figure in a saffron cloth with a red-orange turban stands at the table's far end, and a long-haired figure in saffron sits at the lower right. Behind them, many white-clad people stand under the trees, and at the right a golden ornate palanquin-style throne or deity frame is visible near a metal railing.2017-05-10May 10 20172017-05-10Night ritual in an outdoor courtyard with a lit fire pit at the centre, surrounded by yellow-painted brick or wooden platforms heaped with flowers, fruit, brass lamps and garlands. Several priests sit cross-legged in white dhotis and bare upper bodies with rudraksha malas, one wearing an orange turban and a yellow-headed man beside him. Smoke drifts through beams of light. Behind them, a standing figure in white robes and a flower garland is seen at the right edge, and more white-clad attendants and devotees move between poles and offerings. This appears to be a homa or yagna with offerings around the fire.2017-05-10Night outdoor ritual under a corrugated roof at Nithyananda Peetham, Tiruvannamalai. Several priests in white dhotis sit or kneel at long low tables lined with brass vessels, banana leaves, flower garlands, fruit baskets and yellow-and-red packets. A smoking fire pit in the centre suggests a homa or yagna. A shirtless man in a white dhoti and orange shawl bends over the offerings at right, while a shirtless devotee with long hair and beads sits at lower right. Behind them, a golden-framed throne-like seat and flower-decorated altar stand beside a row of seated and standing white-clad participants under floodlights and trees.2017-05-10Night outdoor fire ritual. Several men in white dhotis and orange or saffron cloths sit on the ground tending the fire; one man in a yellow headcloth and a rudraksha-style mala pours from a ladle, and another in an orange turban sits in the foreground. Smoke drifts through the scene and people in white and orange stand behind the altars under trees.2017-05-10March 11 20172017-03-11Night-time outdoor homa or fire ritual at an ashram ground under trees, with smoke rising among several yagna pits. Priests in white dhotis and bare-chested devotees with rudraksha malas and saffron cloths tend the fire pits, which are decorated with flower garlands, purple-and-white ribbons, fruit, brass vessels and kalasha pots. A bare-chested man in front wears a yellow headband and a gold-looking necklace, holding a small bowl. Behind, a priest in white stands near a raised platform with a deity murti and an orange-clothed figure. Fluorescent lights and a metal railing frame the scene.2017-05-10September 09 20162016-09-09