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Night puja at a raised platform before a deity murti adorned with yellow and red flower garlands and a blue satin backdrop. A young man in a crown-like ornate headdress, bare-chested with a beaded necklace and an orange dhoti, sits cross-legged making an offering with his hand over a brass vessel of mango leaves and fruit. Beside him a younger man in orange robes with folded palms stands while a figure holding a golden fan of white plumes waves it over them. Brass bells, a lamp and offerings of bananas and coconuts sit on an orange cloth. A bald man in white with a rudraksha mala watches on the left. The ritual appears to be an aarti or puja.

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November 20 20102010-11-20Photograph of a ritual in progress at a temple-like hall. A seated man in orange-saffron robes, wearing a rudraksha mala and gold bangles, holds his hands together in front of his face in prayer. Beside him, a younger boy in an orange turban and orange-and-gold garments sits with palms joined. In front of them is a stack of yellow turmeric blocks, a small brass lamp with a visible flame, bowls of white flowers and yellow grains, a brass vessel with a ladle, and a kalasha-style pot with mango leaves. Behind, a decorated deity murti is adorned with green and white garlands and pink draping, with a seated figure in orange and red at left.2015-04-30December 24 20092009-12-24Outdoor temple procession scene in bright daylight. In the foreground, a man in orange robes and a maroon shawl holds a silver kalasha decorated with marigolds, white flowers and mango leaves, topped with a yellow coconut. Beside him, a man with long swept-back dark hair wears an orange robe, a long white garland with red and orange flowers, and a rudraksha mala, extending a hand toward the kalasha. Behind them, men in white dhotis and orange-clad attendants stand near a red and gold ceremonial umbrella and a tall gold-topped staff. Palm trees and a bus appear in the background.2008-12-25A photograph of a ritual at a temple, with a golden-framed shrine behind. A deity murti seated on a purple cushioned throne is dressed in orange silk and jewellery, with a face decorated with a crown and gold ornaments. Garlands of yellow, red, white and purple flowers wrap the throne. A standing sannyasi in saffron/orange robes raises his arm and scatters petals or flowers over the murti. To the left, a priest in orange dhoti and shawl with gold chains holds a golden tray with a red cloth, while another man in white stands beside him. Yellow petals fall in the air.2010-12-27A photograph of a ceremonial ritual on a stage in front of a richly decorated deity murti. A standing young man in saffron-orange dhoti and orange turban holds a silver tray with a rudraksha mala around his neck. Seated to the right, a man with glasses and a bare torso wears a red-brown dhoti and gold armlets and tends a fire or offering with smoke rising. Another seated attendant in an orange turban and orange dhoti with a rudraksha mala sits in the centre, and a figure in orange and gold sits near a red-and-gold throne draped with flower garlands. Floral garlands and a pink cloth decorate the murti at right, with yellow-and-gold ritual items on the floor in front.2015-04-30Night outdoor homa ceremony under a decorated pavilion with green leaf festoons and string lights at the right. A bald priest in saffron-orange robes, a saffron head covering and a long rudraksha-style bead necklace stands centre-right, holding a brass tray of red fruits and bananas. A young assistant in white kurta with a yellow shawl stands beside him holding bundled sticks. Brass vessels, a tall brass lamp and a kalasha sit on the altar, with marigold petals scattered before it. Figures in orange and yellow shawls sit in the foreground, partly visible at the edges.2009-09-26A night-time photograph of a puja at an outdoor shrine. A shaved-headed man in saffron-orange robes with a white vertical tilak and a long beaded necklace sits on an orange-covered platform, while a second shaved-headed man in orange robes leans in and touches a brass vessel. A woman in a white sari with a long braid sits in the foreground, and a young man in white on the left holds his hands in anjali. Behind them stands a deity murti draped in blue silk and garlanded with red, orange and yellow flower malas, flanked by colourful painted pillars. The platform holds a brass kalasha, a silver plate with coconuts, bananas, fruit, flowers and a small ornate box, consistent with a puja or abhishekam. No one is identified by face; the seated man's appearance is not sufficiently distinctive to confirm his identity.2010-11-19A photograph of a temple sanctum with a long-haired man in saffron-orange robes and a rudraksha-style beaded necklace standing at right, bending forward and placing his hand on the forehead of a second man in orange robes and a gold-coloured ceremonial necklace at centre, who has white tilak marks on his forehead. Behind them a bare-chested figure in orange and a tray of white powder is held by a hand from below at the bottom edge. Left of centre stand deity murtis in gold ornaments, garlands of yellow and purple flowers, and a dark cylindrical object like a shivalinga or peetha. Warm light falls on beige stone ceilings and a red drape hangs at right.2009-12-16A photograph inside a temple-style hall during a ritual. In the foreground a young man with long, swept-back dark hair wears a saffron-orange draped cloth over his shoulders and holds his hands out over a brass offering; a second young man in orange stands behind him holding a small tray. Several shaven-headed monks in orange robes sit on a raised platform with their backs to the camera, facing an ornate golden altar with a red velvet niche, lion figures, a gilded deity murti and a standing statue in orange robes. Brass pots holding yellow flowers and green leaves sit on the platform in front, and purple curtains hang in the background.2006-08-22April 30 20152015-04-30December 24 20112011-12-24