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A nighttime homa in progress beside a clay deity murti with multiple arms, a lion mount and a decorated backdrop with fairy lights. Several people in orange and saffron robes sit around a square fire pit with brass vessels, flower petals and a small oil lamp, some pouring offerings. A framed portrait on the right, garlanded with yellow and orange flowers, shows a figure in orange robes and a rudraksha-style necklace seated in meditation; it is a printed picture, not a person in the scene. About ten physical people are visible, most in orange, a few in white or yellow.

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September 26 20092009-09-26Evening photograph of a group performing a Chandi Homa-style ritual in an open pandal lit by string lights. Several people in saffron and orange robes sit cross-legged on a mat around a low white-draped table holding brass plates, flowers and offerings. A woman in orange with a headscarf leans forward at left, while a bearded man in orange with a rudraksha mala and gold chain sits at right. Nearby, people in white and yellow sit in the background. At left, a painted clay murti of a goddess with a lion stands beside other deity figures and a kalasha-style lamp. Above the group, a framed portrait of a seated figure in orange with beads is garlanded with yellow flowers.2009-09-26A photograph of a night-time homa ritual in an ashram hall lit by string lights and an oil lamp. Several saffron-robed sannyasis and women in orange sit in a semicircle around a white-draped homa altar with brass bowls, yellow flowers and a small fire vessel. Two people in yellow and white sit at the front tending the offerings. Behind them, a deity murti group with a lion figure and a framed portrait garlanded with yellow flowers. A portrait in the top right shows a man in saffron with rudraksha mala beads on a throne; he is a printed image, not a physical person present in the room.2009-09-26 +1 copiesA photograph of a lamp-lit ritual inside a decorated tent, with a large deity murti of a goddess with multiple arms and a lion at its base, surrounded by marigold garlands, banana leaves and string lights. Several seated participants in saffron-orange robes sit before a low altar with brass bowls and offerings, while a woman in orange at the centre gestures during the rite. Two figures in white with yellow shawls sit in the foreground. A framed portrait of a saffron-clad figure hangs at right, garlanded. The setting suggests a chandi homa puja.2009-09-25 +1 copiesA festive ritual pavilion decorated with string lights and layered paper canopies. At the back, a deity murti of a goddess with multiple arms stands on a white lace-edged altar. In the foreground, several people in saffron-orange robes sit on mats before a low ritual platform holding brass lamps, kalasha pots, flower-filled bowls, and a large offering plate of white sweets. Two attendants in white clothes with yellow scarves sit at the left, one beside a wooden drum-like instrument. A woman in orange and a woman in red sit at the platform, and a Western-looking woman in orange sits at the right beside green banana leaves. Burning oil lamps and mango leaves decorate the space.2009-09-27 +1 copiesA night homa at an open-air pavilion decorated with mango leaves and orange-and-white streamers. A square fire pit sits at centre, ringed by yellow marigold petals and trays of fruit, sweets, flowers and brass dishes. Around it sit about a dozen people in orange and saffron robes: several women and men, one bearded man in orange with a rudraksha-style mala, and a shaven-headed man in orange with a saffron head covering who gestures toward the fire. Behind them a framed portrait of a saffron-robed figure wearing a garland stands on an easel. Brass lamps, a bell and a blue cloth with a book are at the front. Several onlookers in white clothing are visible at the lower right edge.2009-09-25 +1 copiesA photograph of a Navaratri puja in a decorated tent. Several seated people wear saffron-orange robes and some wear white with yellow sashes, grouped around a low central altar with brass vessels, oil lamps, banana leaves, bundled offerings, yellow marigold flowers, white flower petals and piles of dried sticks on trays. Behind them a painted goddess image with silver-white decorations and figures stands beneath strings of fairy lights and hanging orange and green fabric. A man in white on the left holds a wooden instrument, and a standing figure stands at the back. Mostly orange-robed devotees perform the ritual.2009-09-27Night homa ceremony under a canopy decorated with mango leaves and colourful paper rings. Several women in saffron-orange robes sit around a square fire pit filled with red-glowing embers, feeding offerings into the fire. Other women in orange and yellow stoles sit in a row at the left, and a man in white with a yellow stole sits in the foreground. A framed portrait garlanded with marigolds stands behind the pit, showing a man in orange robes with a rudraksha mala and a raised hand. Brass lamps, bowls of sweets, fruit, a kalasha-style vessel and a small book sit on the altar, with smoke rising in the lamplight.2009-09-27A night-time homa or yagna under a canopy decorated with green mango leaves and paper garlands. Several women and a man in saffron-orange robes sit cross-legged around a square fire pit with a red-orange interior, while others in white garments with yellow shawls stand and sit behind them. Brass pots, oil lamps, bowls of food, fruit, flowers and a sacred book are arranged on a cloth in the foreground. A large framed portrait of a figure in orange robes and a rudraksha mala is displayed on a flower-garlanded stand at the back, labelled as a portrait rather than a physical person. Lights are strung overhead.2009-09-27Night-time homa ceremony under an open canopy decorated with green leaves and hanging garlands. A square fire pit lined with marigold petals sends up smoke at the centre. Several people in saffron and orange robes sit cross-legged around it, with a seated devotee in a yellow shawl and white garment in the right foreground. A brass oil lamp with yellow flower garlands stands at left. Behind the pit, a framed portrait in a flower garland shows a figure in orange robes and beads, which is a printed picture rather than a physical person.2009-10-17A night-time photograph of a Chandi homa ritual in a decorated pandal. A standing figure in orange robes with a saffron head covering holds a lit aarti lamp toward a large deity murti of a goddess on the right, whose multiple arms carry weapons and whose face is painted. Seated devotees wearing orange and yellow dupattas, and white clothes, sit on the floor with folded hands, some with plates of offerings. Brass pots, flowers, leaves and a fairy-light backdrop surround the altar, with smoke drifting through the hall.2009-09-25A photograph of a Chandi Homa ritual held under a open-sided pavilion with palm and banana leaves behind. Several devotees in saffron-orange robes sit cross-legged around a square homa fire pit, with ritual vessels, bowls and marigold petals on a white cloth. A woman in orange with long hair stands near the fire pit pouring offerings, while others in orange sit close by. At left a seated person in white with a yellow shawl faces the fire, and a large goddess murti with multiple arms stands at the top left. A framed portrait garlanded with flowers and an orange-clad figure appears at the right. Brass pots, bowls of dried sticks and white cotton pieces lie in the foreground.2009-09-25