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A photograph of a seated ritual gathering. A shaved-headed priest in white dhoti with a gold necklace and sandalwood-paste markings on his forehead and arms holds a small silver oil lamp with a lit flame. Beside him a woman in a white sari with a green-and-gold border and a black beaded necklace stands with palms pressed together in prayer. Behind them an orange-robed man with gold beads and a white-clad figure with gold beads sit among silver plates and offering trays with flowers, and several people in the foreground hold lamps. Oil lamps and metal plates suggest an aarti or puja. No clearly identifiable a person figure is visible.

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October 22 20142014-10-22A photograph of a ritual scene with a shaven-headed priest in white dhoti and shawl with a red border, wearing a heavy gold bead necklace and gold bangle, holding a small silver lamp (oil lamp) with a flame. Beside him a woman in a white sari with green and gold border presses her palms together in prayer, wearing a dark beaded mala and a red bindi. Behind them, a man in a white shawl and gold necklace speaks into a microphone, and another man in an orange cloth with a gold necklace and forehead markings sits at right. Silver plates and small lamps with lit flames are in the foreground, with a blurred person at lower left. Visible white vibhuti/tilak lines mark several foreheads and arms.2010-10-22 +1 copiesA photograph of a group ritual with oil lamps. A shaved-headed priest in white dhoti and shawl, with white and red tilak on his forehead and arms, holds a small brass lamp with a lit flame and a gold ornate necklace. Beside him a woman in a white saree with green border and a red bindi presses her palms together in prayer, with a black mala around her neck. Behind them an orange-robed man wearing a gold necklace and a white-clad man with a microphone sit among brass plates and a kalasha. Blurred figures in the foreground.2010-10-22 +1 copiesOctober 23 20102010-10-23 +1 copiesOctober 23 20102010-10-23October 23 20102010-10-23A photograph of a ritual scene in a temple-like room with a gilded ornate panel behind. A young shaved-headed man in white dhoti with a red border, bare-chested, wearing a gold-beaded necklace and a gold bracelet, holds a small silver oil lamp (aarti lamp) in one hand while gesturing with the other. Vibhuti (white ash) marks are on his forehead and body. Behind him a woman in an orange shawl and white garment stands, and to the right a woman in a yellow garment with folded hands and a blonde woman in a cream sari hold small lamps. Silver puja plates with offerings and a lit flame sit in the foreground, with several heads in silhouette. No one in the scene is identified as a person by appearance, so the central man is described by role as a priest performing aarti.2010-10-23A shaven-headed priest in white dhoti, bare-shouldered, with white vertical tilak marks on his forehead and arms and a gold-and-bead necklace, lifts a silver aarti lamp with a lit flame in his right hand. Behind him a bearded man in white clothes holds a silver ornate lamp stand, and on the right a young man in white with a gold chain and white shawl sits with hands folded. Women with long braided hair sit in the foreground, and brass and silver puja plates with offerings, including an apple, fill the lower right. The setting appears to be a puja or aarti ritual.2010-10-19A photograph of a ritual in progress indoors. A shaven-headed man in white dhoti and a bare chest, wearing a gold beaded necklace and a gold pendant, holds up a lit incense stick and a small offering dish, with white sacred ash marks on his forehead and arm. Smoke rises from the incense. Around him, other white-clad men wear gold necklaces, white and red sacred marks, and one woman with a red bindi holds a brass lamp. A woman with a yellow cloth in the foreground is also present. The setting appears to be a ceremonial hall with a dark backdrop.2010-10-22 +1 copiesA photograph of a ritual puja in an indoor hall. A shaved-headed priest in white dhoti and a gold-beaded necklace with a green-and-gold border holds a lit oil lamp and performs aarti with ash markings on his forehead and arms. Beside him a woman in an orange sari with a red bindi holds a lit lamp with hands pressed together, and other devotees in white and yellow clothes sit with palms joined. In the foreground, the backs of heads and hands hold silver plates with flower petals and offerings. At left, a gold-carved wooden seat draped with orange and red cloth sits beside the lamps. A white ceiling fan and a dark curtain are visible in the background.2010-10-21A temple ritual scene in which a shaved-headed priest in white dhoti, with white tripundra markings on his forehead and arm and a rudraksha mala with gold beads, raises a lit oil lamp (aarti) toward the viewer. Around him, white-clad devotees sit and stand, one man in a white shirt holding a brass vessel, and a younger man in white with a long gold chain. Brass and silver plates of offerings, including an apple, rest in front of them. A woman with long braided hair sits at the right foreground.2010-10-19A ritual puja in an indoor room with a golden-edged wooden seat draped in orange cloth and a red cushion at left. A bald man in white dhoti and shawl with white tilak, wearing a gold necklace and a striped sash, holds a lit oil lamp and speaks while seated with others. A woman in an orange shawl with a red bindi sits with hands folded in prayer, holding a lamp. Two more women in white and yellow hold lamps, and a bald man at lower left and a woman with hair in a bun at lower center are partly visible. Silver plates with flowers, fruit and offerings sit before them. A lit oil lamp stands on a silver holder at right.2010-10-21