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A homa fire burns in a square brick fire pit at night, decorated with white chalk markings and scattered flower petals. Two men in white ritual clothes stand at the pit. The man on the left wears a white turban, a white dhoti with gold borders and a gold-coloured necklace, and feeds sticks or offerings into the flames with his right hand. The man on the right wears a white shawl with gold edging and watches. Brass oil lamps with lit wicks stand beside the pit, and small silver dishes filled with offerings line the front edge. A bell rests at the pit's corner. The background is a dim building with a corrugated roof.

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November 24th To 27 2005 - Highlights Of NSP in Salem2005-11-24November 24th To 27 2005 - Highlights Of NSP in Salem2005-11-24A photograph of an evening homa at a brick fire pit with a burning fire, outlined with white decorative markings and pink flowers. A man in a white turban and white dhoti with gold borders stands on the left, beside a brass lamp stand. Next to him a younger man in white robes pours or offers material from a metal plate over the fire. Small steel plates of offerings line the front edge of the pit. Two more men in white stand in the background against a corrugated metal wall. The atmosphere is ritual, with white clothing predominating.2005-11-24November 24th To 27 2005 - Highlights Of NSP in Salem2005-11-24November 24th To 27 2005 - Highlights Of NSP in Salem2005-11-24A night homa fire ceremony in an open outdoor courtyard. A large flame rises from a stepped stone fire pit in the centre. A standing figure in a white dhoti and white shawl with a turban and a long rudraksha-style bead garland stands at the fire. Beside him a second man in white, with a shaved head and bead malas, bends over the fire holding a silver tray. A seated priest in white with a shaved head faces the fire in the foreground, with brass oil lamps and offering plates nearby. Seated devotees in white and orange fill the left side, and a woman in white stands at the far right. Strings of leaves and decorative hanging banners frame the scene.2010-10-16 +1 copiesNight fire ritual at an outdoor homa or yagna pit, lit by the flames. A man in white dhoti and a cream turban holds a burning camphor flame aloft with a lamp-like vessel, and wears a long rudraksha-style mala with a gold necklace. Beside him a bald assistant in white holds a silver bowl, and another man in white sits behind a copper-coloured peetha or throne-like backrest with hands folded. Marigold petals are scattered on stone steps around the fire pit, and a seated figure in the foreground shows only the back of his head and shoulders. Other men in white stand with palms joined in namaskar, and seated children and adults watch from the left. Festoons of leaves and a decorated pillar hang overhead.2010-10-16Night photograph of a Chandi Homa fire ritual in an open outdoor area. A tiered white stone fire pit blazes at center. A woman in white garments with a yellow-orange head wrap leans over the flames, while a standing priest in white dhoti and shawl with a gold-toned necklace holds a brass tray of offerings. A seated officiant in white kneels at the lower left and another in white stands at right. Behind the pit, a row of seated devotees in white clothes watches. Strings of green leaves hang overhead, and brass oil lamps, flower garlands and offering plates sit at the right edge. A wooden yagna vessel stands near the fire. No candidate for a person is distinctly identifiable.2010-10-16 +1 copiesNight photograph of a homa fire ritual in an open courtyard. A square brick fire pit with a lit flame sits on a white-cloth platform strewn with flower petals. A man in a white dhoti with a yellow-orange head wrap stands at the pit pouring an offering, while a shaved-headed priest in white dhoti with red borders and a gold-bead garland holds a brass plate. Another attendant in white with a garland stands at right beside a carved wooden stand, and ceremonial lamps and brass vessels sit at the front. Seated devotees in white and colourful clothing watch from the left under a leafy garland-decorated canopy, with a large red flower garland visible at lower right.2010-10-16 +1 copiesNight homa ritual at an open-air fire pit, a stepped stone altar with a large blaze rising from its square well. Three priests in white dhotis and shawls stand around it: the front priest in a saffron-orange turban with a gold necklace holds a kalasha-like vessel; the middle priest with a shaved head holds a lit oil lamp and a silver plate; the third, on the right, in white with a red border, pours offerings. Marigold and rose petals are scattered on the altar steps. Seated devotees in white clothes watch from the left, and brass lamps and plates sit at the right edge. Painted pillars and leafy garlands hang in the background, and a carved wooden disc lies beside the fire pit.2010-10-16 +1 copiesNovember 24th To 27 2005 - Highlights Of NSP in Salem2005-11-24Night outdoor homa at an ashram: a square brick fire pit blazes at the centre, its edges strewn with marigold and rose petals. A woman in white with a yellow head wrap pours liquid from a brass vessel into the fire. Beside her, a man with a shaved head, white dhoti and orange-red border wears beaded necklaces and holds a brass bowl of red flowers. A younger man in white stands behind holding a brass vessel. A carved wooden plate stands upright near the fire. Brass lamps with flames and garlands sit at right. Seated devotees in white, some in saffron and yellow, watch from behind, and a woman in yellow stands at right near a leafy garland canopy.2010-10-16 +2 copies