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A homa fire is burning in a square fire pit built from stacked brick-like blocks decorated with white and purple rangoli-style designs. Four priests sit on striped mats around the fire. The two on the left wear white dhotis and saffron-and-gold wraps, one with a red-and-gold head turban, both with beaded necklaces and bare upper bodies. Two more on the right wear saffron and cream cloths with rudraksha-style beaded malas. Brass vessels, plates of flowers, fruit, and small offering bundles surround the scene, and a long, dim corridor with red walls and people in the background leads toward the entrance.

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March 06 20162016-03-06March 06 20162016-03-06 +1 copiesMarch 06 20162016-03-06 +1 copiesA homa is performed at a brick fire pit in a temple-like hall. Three priests sit on a striped mat around the burning fire: the man on the left wears a red-and-pink turban, a red-orange rudraksha-style mala, and a white dhoti, and he is feeding items from a woven basket; the man in the centre sits in white with a white shawl and a bead necklace; the man on the right wears a white dhoti, an orange-gold cloth and a bead garland, holding a small item over the flames. A fourth person in white dhoti and white kurta stands in a doorway behind them. Flowers, a brass vessel of ghee, and yellow marigold garlands surround the fire.2016-08-05A homa fire burns in a brick fire pit in the foreground, with cut sticks and a bowl of offerings beside it. Three shirtless men sit on the floor in a ritual setting. The man on the left wears a red and orange turban, a gold-coloured silk cloth over his shoulder, white dhoti, and multiple beaded necklaces, holding a sprig and sitting before a gold-framed throne with red cushions. The man in the centre wears a saffron and gold cloth and a long garland, seated beside a kalasha pot decorated with flowers and red garlands. A young man on the right in a white dhoti and patterned cloth watches the ritual. Brass lamps and flower-decorated vessels surround the scene. The homa is a fire ritual.2016-03-06 +1 copiesNight-time homa at a temple-style setting: a fire burns in a square fire pit built from tiered bricks decorated with white kolam-style rangoli and marigold garlands. Three priests sit on striped mats around it; the front priest in a saffron-and-yellow shawl over bare shoulders wears rudraksha-style beads, and another in orange shawl and white dhoti sits nearby. A brass kalasha, flowers, fruit and a banana leaf with offerings lie beside the fire, and a silver plate and brass vessels sit in the foreground. Several people sit in the background, with floor scattered with marigold petals.2016-03-06 +1 copiesA homa fire ceremony in a red-walled hall. A priest seated at left, bare-chested with white dhoti, rudraksha-style garland and a pink-and-red turban, pours offerings with a long ladle into a brick fire pit. Two seated men beside the pit wear white dhotis and garlands, and marigold garlands and flowers decorate the altar. A standing figure in orange robes and a woman in a white sari stand in the doorway with others in white behind them. A brass vessel and a kalasha with flowers sit before the fire.2016-08-05A homa fire burns in a brick fire pit on a floor covered with striped mats, while three priests sit cross-legged around it. The priest at left wears a pink and purple turban, bare-chested with orange-beaded necklaces, and tends the fire with a basket of offerings. Two priests at right, one with white sacred ash marks on the forehead and rudraksha necklaces, sit bare-chested in white dhotis and tend the flames. Behind them, several people in white and orange garments stand in a doorway with carved wooden frames. Marigold garlands, brass vessels and a basket of offerings surround the fire.2016-08-05April 10 20162016-04-10April 10 20162016-04-10April 06 20172017-04-06Photograph of a fire ritual, homa or yagna, inside a stone-walled hall with rough brick and stone blocks. Several priests sit on the floor around brick-lined fire pits where flames rise, with bowls of offerings, leafy green stems, marigold-like flowers, a basket of sticks and brass vessels nearby. The priest in the centre wears an orange-saffron cloth draped over his body with a tilak on his forehead. A bare-chested priest on the right wears a yellow head cloth and white dhoti. Attendants in white and orange garments tend the fires and handle offerings in the background.2016-10-16