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A photograph, rotated sideways, of a temple ritual with smoke and bright light. Three men in white dhotis stand before a decorated altar, one in the foreground wearing a yellow and white cloth and holding a silver-coloured ritual vessel while bending forward. Another man in white with a rudraksha-style mala and bare shoulders stands behind, and a third figure in white is partly visible. The altar is draped in striped fabric and garlanded with yellow and white flowers, with bananas, fruit, a woven basket and brass lamps with flames. Smoke drifts across the scene. No figure is clearly identifiable as a person.

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A photograph of a temple ritual with smoke rising through the frame. Two men in white dhotis with coloured borders are seated at the front of a decorated platform, one in green and yellow cloth and the other in red and gold, both holding ritual implements. A large drum-like vessel and brass pots sit on a colourful striped cloth, surrounded by marigold garlands, fruit and flower arrangements. Bright stage lights and a plume of incense or homa smoke fill the upper area, with an ornate decorated structure behind.2016-12-15A temple ritual with a fire offering in a tented hall lit by stage lights. A priest in a yellow and green sash and white dhoti lifts a lamp high above a raised wooden platform heaped with marigold garlands, fruit and bowls. Smoke rises around him. To the left, a young man in an orange-bordered dhoti and rudraksha-style necklace holds a brass tray, and beside him another man in white dhoti and shawl holds a tray and speaks into a microphone. Strings of colourful lights and a golden deity murti decorated with flowers stand at right, with a kalasha-like offering vessel in pink. Baskets of bananas, oranges and grains sit on a striped cloth in the foreground. Background figures in white are seated in the hall.2016-12-15Photograph of a night ritual at a temple stage, with the image rotated sideways. A bare-chested man in a white dhoti with a yellow shawl and a green-and-white cloth at the waist stands with palms joined in namaskar, wearing rudraksha and bead necklaces and bracelets. Behind him a standing priest in white dhoti with a maroon-bordered cloth holds a microphone. Smoke or incense haze fills the air, and at left are brass ritual vessels, a large gong or drum, colourful draped fabric and flower garlands. a person: the bare-chested man with rudraksha and bead necklaces is a devotee-priest figure in ceremonial dress, and appearance cues are not conclusive.2016-12-15A homa or yagna at a Nithyananda Dhyanapeetam-style ritual hall. In the centre, a priest in white dhoti and a white shawl stands before a smoking fire pit with flower-strewn offerings, chanting into a microphone. Beside him a second priest, bare-chested with a yellow cloth and a rudraksha-style mala, pours liquid from a silver kalasha-like vessel into the fire. Marigold garlands and yellow flowers decorate the pit and a brass lamp stand. A large crowd of seated devotees fills the background under hanging lamps and orange-and-white decorations, while a photographer with a camera on a tripod works at the side.2016-12-15 +1 copiesA night-time homa or yagna at a temple setting. A square fire pit with rising smoke sits in the centre, decorated with marigold and yellow flower garlands. Four priests attend it: a bare-chested priest in a saffron-orange cloth with a rudraksha mala leans forward at left, a young assistant in white dhoti and cloth stands nearby, and a priest in white dhoti with a yellow shawl stands centrally, holding a ritual implement over the fire. Brass plates of bananas, fruits and vessels lie on the mat in front. Behind, a golden ornate deity murti and altar are decorated with flowers, and strings of colourful lamps and bright lights hang overhead. A camera operator on a tripod and a seated person in white appear at the left edge.2016-12-15Night ritual inside a tent with a fire pit (homa/yagna) on a golden-yellow tiered platform decorated with flower petals and marigold garlands. Smoke rises from a small flame at the centre. Several priests in white dhotis, some bare-chested with sacred threads, tend the fire and offerings; one stands at right with a silver bowl and a red-and-purple cloth. Behind them a golden shrine or palanquin, a silver deity figure, and brass vessels and a ceremonial implement sit on striped mats. Bright stage lights and hanging drapes frame the scene.2017-09-26 +1 copiesDecember 12 20162016-12-12December 15 20162016-12-15A homa or yagna at a temple pavilion. A bare-chested young priest in an orange dhoti and a sacred thread stands at left holding a brass tray of offerings, and another priest in white dhoti holds a tray of grains and fruit beside him. A priest in a yellow shawl and white dhoti at centre pours an offering into a fire pit on a tiered platform decorated with yellow marigold garlands. Smoke rises through the hall. Behind the fire pit, a golden peetha with a decorated deity murti sits beneath a colourful canopy, with a bell-shaped kalasha and banana, apple and orange fruit offerings on banana-leaf mats in the foreground. Ceiling decorations and hanging lamps are visible, and a microphone is held nearby.2016-12-15December 07 20162016-12-07December 15 20162016-12-15December 15 20162016-12-15