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A fire ritual at a brick homa altar. A flame rises from a stack of yellow bricks dusted with white ash, with marigold petals and green leaves scattered on top. A person in a white garment with a gold border pours or throws grains from a silver bowl with a long-handled ladle, grains flying through the air. Silver vessels, a silver kalasha-style pot, a silver spouted ladle and small cups sit in front of the altar. A red wall and a carved wooden door are behind. A person in white dhoti stands at the right edge and a bare arm with a red thread and bangles is visible at left. No swami is visible.

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November 29 20112011-11-29November 29 20112011-11-29January 11 20142014-01-11A close photograph of a homa fire pit built of stacked red-brick blocks dusted with white powder and marked with red kumkum and coloured patterns. A bright flame rises from the centre, and a hand in the upper right, wearing a bangle, pours a liquid from a long golden ladle into the fire. A large polished brass or silver bowl sits on the right, a small metal kalasha-style pot lies in front, and blurred brass oil lamps frame the foreground. No people are fully visible beyond the hand.2015-07-09 +3 copiesA homa fire ritual in progress. Two priests sit cross-legged in white dhotis with golden borders and bare upper bodies, one wearing a beaded necklace, both with gold bangles. The right priest holds a brass plate and a ladle-like spoon over a flaming fire pit built from brick-like blocks decorated with white and red patterns. Brass oil lamps with lit wicks stand at the left edge, along with small brass bowls and a metal vessel. The foreground is warmly lit with glowing flames.2012-02-09Close view of a homa fire built on stacked yellow-orange and reddish bricks, with bright orange flames rising from offerings wrapped in white cloth. A hand in a gold bangle holds a polished silver ceremonial vessel with a long handle and decorated lid, pouring or offering into the fire. A plain silver bowl sits on the bricks at right, and a red cloth lies on the ground at left. No people's faces are visible; only the hand and forearm of the officiant are shown.2014-01-11February 09 20122012-02-09January 04 20152015-01-04May 12 20132013-05-12A large fire blazes from a square brick-and-white-plastered homa pit at dusk. A priest in white clothing, with a bangle on the wrist, reaches in with a long-handled metal ladle held over a copper or brass bowl containing offerings. Behind the pit, several seated men in white dhotis and shirts play drums, and a woman in a gold-bordered sari stands at the right edge. Brass vessels, a red cloth and fruit lie on the ground near the fire. Scattered figures stand in the background. The scene shows a homa ritual in an outdoor courtyard.2011-12-31A homa fire pit built from red brick, decorated with white and orange powder and marigold petals, with smoke rising from burning wood. In the foreground a shaved-headed person in the blurred left corner watches the rite. Behind the pit a priest in a yellow dhoti and cloth stirs the fire with a long metal ladle into a silver bowl. A brass kalasha and oil lamp sit nearby on a metal tray with folded white cloths, on a red-tiled floor. Visible people are only partially shown, and no one is clearly identifiable as a person.2015-07-18November 28 20152015-11-28