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Outdoor homa ceremony in front of an orange-walled temple with the sign "श्री आनंदेश्वर मंदिर" (Sri Anandeshwara Mandir) on the wall. A bald, shaved-headed priest in an orange-saffron dhoti and shawl, with a gold necklace and a tilak on his forehead, sits with palms joined in prayer beside a square white fire pit. Other white-clad participants sit on the ground in rows, some wearing red and blue sashes, and a woman in a blue sari sits at right beside brass oil lamps and kalasha pots. A large brass bowl, bundled firewood, banana and fruit offerings, and bowls of grain sit on a white cloth in the foreground. The priest is a shaved-headed person in saffron, identity not established from appearance alone.

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December 16 20102010-12-16 +1 copiesDecember 16 20102010-12-16Outdoor homa at a white-railed fire pit in front of a sign reading "Sri Anandeshwar Mandir" on an orange temple wall. A seated priest in saffron-orange robes, with a rudraksha mala and gold necklace and a shaved head, presses his palms together beside a second seated man in white ritual clothes and a lanyard. Trays of wood, grains, bananas and offerings lie on the white platform. Many devotees in white sit on mats in the background, several with hands folded in prayer. Clear sign of a homa and devotional gathering.2010-12-16December 16 20102010-12-16Outdoor homa ritual at a fire pit (kunda) built into a white platform, with a sign reading "Sri Anandeshwar Mandir" on an orange wall behind. A man in an orange dhoti and orange shawl with a gold-beaded necklace and vibhuti marks on his forehead stands at the pit holding a brass plate of offerings, with smoke rising from the pit. Nearby, a man in a white dhoti and shawl with an ID lanyard stands with folded hands; a bundle of wood, a basket of red flower petals, brass vessels and kalashas with orange-wrapped coconuts sit on the platform. Around 20 seated devotees in white clothing, some in orange, press their palms together. The pictured scene is a homa ritual at the temple, with a white-and-red striped awning overhead.2010-12-16A homa fire ceremony in an open courtyard beside a red-orange wall with a sign reading Sri Anandeshwar Mandir. A bald man in a saffron-orange dhoti and shawl stands at a square fire pit holding a brass plate of offerings, with a gold chain necklace and beaded mala. Beside him a man in a white dhoti and shawl with a white sash stands with palms joined. Behind them a seated crowd of about 30 people in white clothes, some with lanyards, watches, some with hands folded. Brass kalasha vessels with mango-leaf and orange tops, a plate of red powder, bundles of wood, and a dhoti-draped altar with a blue cloth stand around the pit.2010-12-16A photograph of an outdoor homa at an ashram courtyard. In the centre, a shaven-headed priest in an orange-saffron robe with a beaded necklace and a red-orange shawl sits cross-legged before a square fire pit, raising his hands over the flames. Beside him, a young man in white dhoti and shawl with a lanyard kneels, and a bowl of wood sticks and grains lies on a white cloth. Behind them, rows of seated devotees in white clothes, some in orange and red, watch and fold their hands. A red-and-white striped structure and an orange building with a sign stand behind them, with brass lamps and offerings on the right.2010-12-16Outdoor homa or yagna at a white-edged square fire pit beside an orange wall with the sign "Sri Anandeshwar Mandir". A bald man in saffron-orange robes, a long orange shawl and a multi-strand rudraksha-style mala holds a ritual ladle over the pit with his hands. Beside him a younger man in white dhoti and shawl sits with folded hands and a lanyard. Behind them many people in white clothes sit on the ground in rows, some with palms pressed together. Trays of wood sticks, grains, coconut and banana leaves lie on the white platform, and brass pots with orange flowers sit at the right. The orange and white setting suggests ashram ritual practice.2010-12-16December 16 20102010-12-16A homa fire ritual at an outdoor temple courtyard in front of a red-orange wall with a sign reading Sri Anandeshwar Mandir. A shaved-headed man in an orange saffron robe and a beaded rudraksha-style necklace stands at the square fire pit, holding a brass plate of bananas over the flames. To the left, a man in white dhoti and shawl stands beside stacked firewood and bowls of offerings. Around the fire, a seated congregation of about 40 people in white clothing, some in orange and blue, sit with palms pressed together in prayer. Brass lamps with orange flames, kumkum and banana offerings sit on the altar cloth.2010-12-16Outdoor temple scene at a Sri Anandeshwar Mandir with orange-washed walls. In the foreground a shaved-headed priest in orange robes and a tilak sits with palms joined before a square white fire pit with a black interior. Behind him, rows of devotees in white clothing sit with hands folded in prayer, several women wear red, orange and yellow saris, and small yellow-orange flame lamps and brass kalasha-style offerings rest on the mat. On a raised platform at right, a figure in orange and white sits near a deity murti, and a red cushion with an orange cloth lies in the lower right. Dishes of rice sit at the lower left edge.2010-12-16December 16 20102010-12-16