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A photograph of a temple ritual outdoors. In the foreground a bald priest in white dhoti and shawl with red-bordered edges and a thick gold necklace sits on an orange mat, holding a silver plate with a lit flame over a dark coconut-like offering. Beside him a second priest with a shaved head and tilak sits partly behind. Silver bowls, a small silver bell and a brass tray with offerings lie on the ground near a dark stone basin. Behind them stands a grey vehicle-form murti draped in red and orange cloth and garlanded with yellow and red flowers, with a gold-rimmed tray on the red-covered dais. White-and-red striped steps and potted plants fill the background.

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A photograph of a temple ritual at a shrine with red-and-white striped steps. A shaved-headed priest in white dhoti and shawl, with a red-bordered cloth and a gold chain, holds a silver plate of burning offerings and a lit flame toward a grey bull-shaped Nandi statue draped in an orange cloth and garlanded with red and yellow flowers. A younger attendant in white sits beside him wearing a garland. Silver bells, a small silver vessel and a bowl sit on the stone platform in front of a dark square pit. Potted plants and dark-stone deity figures appear in the background, with a red-draped altar behind the Nandi.2010-09-08A photograph of a temple courtyard with a square stone-rimmed yagna pit filled with dark ash or embers at the lower right. Behind it, a grey bull (Nandi) murti sits on a red-draped platform with an orange-and-gold cloth over its back, garlanded with marigold and white flower strings, and a silver vessel with a leafy plant stands beside it. On the left, a bald priest in white dhoti and shawl with red borders and a gold necklace sits cross-legged on the floor, with a second person in white partly visible behind him. Silver plates, bowls and a small silver kalasha sit on the floor near the fire pit, and a microphone stand is positioned at left. Red and white striped steps lead up in the background.2010-09-08December 17 20112011-12-17A shaved-headed priest in white dhoti and shawl sits cross-legged beside a fire pit, holding a handheld bell and a lit oil lamp on a long silver-stand. He wears a heavy gold necklace with a pendant and a bangle on his wrist, with a white vertical forehead mark. Brass bowls with yellow flower petals and a bundle of dried sticks sit on a stone ledge in front of him, with smoke rising from the fire. Behind him, a red and white striped wall and green plants frame the outdoor ritual, while seated men in the background watch.2011-12-17Two priests in white dhotis with maroon-red borders sit cross-legged beside a fire pit at a homa. The man on the left, wearing gold beaded necklaces and spectacles, stirs a brass bowl of red liquid with a long ladle. The priest on the right, with a shaved head and gold necklace, holds a silver tray of dark ash or offering material over the fire area. A brass pot sits on the stone platform, and a fire glows in the lower left corner. Behind them, a gold-trimmed seat and a red cloth are visible.2010-10-16A shaved-headed priest in a white dhoti and shawl with gold borders sits at a black fire pit, holding a ladle over a flame in a homa or yagna. A gold rudraksha-style mala hangs at his neck and he wears a bracelet. Brass bowls of offerings, yellow flowers, and a kalasha-like vessel sit on the stone ledge. Behind him, musicians play a flute and a drum, and a man in a white shirt and red-and-white lungi stands with hands folded. Orange-red walls and green foliage form the background.2011-12-17A photograph of an evening fire ritual. In the foreground a man with a shaved head, wearing a white dhoti and shawl with red and maroon stripes and a yellow waist cloth, holds a large silver plate with a flaming oil fire and a bundle of ritual sticks. Beside him a second shaved-headed man, bare-chested and wearing a white cloth and a long beaded necklace, leans over a brass vessel and a fire pit. Blurred figures in white and orange clothing stand behind, and a white armchair and flower offerings appear at the back. The scene is a homa or yagna with a fire, not a person depiction.2010-10-16 +1 copiesA photograph of a ritual scene at an outdoor temple-style courtyard. A bald man in white dhoti and shawl with a red-and-maroon border sits cross-legged, wearing a gold bead necklace, a red bindi and white tripundra marks on his forehead and arms, and holds a small glass cup of liquid in his right hand while gesturing with his left. Beside him, a man in an orange robe sits at the left edge, and another bald man in a gold-bead necklace is at the lower right. Behind them, a gold-carved wooden cabinet, silver and steel plates of offerings, a kalasha-like setup and incense sticks are arranged on the ground. Two more people in white dhotis stand in the background beside red-and-white striped walls. Ritual setting consistent with a padapuja or puja offering.2010-09-08Photograph of a ritual homa at a temple courtyard. A young priest in white dhoti and shawl with gold-coloured border sits cross-legged before a fire pit of burning wood, his hands extended toward the flames, a microphone on a stand before him. Gold necklaces with bead and pendant ornaments hang on his chest. Beside him sits a second man in orange-saffron cloth with a gold-bead mala and pendant, his hands folded in his lap, with a brass plate of yellow flower petals in front of him. A tall brass oil lamp with a lit flame stands at right beside a brass vessel, and a red-and-white striped pillar stands behind.2011-11-01Photograph of two shaved-headed priests in white dhoti and shawls with gold borders seated cross-legged on the floor during a puja. The foreground priest wears a rudraksha mala and a wristwatch and reaches toward a brass bell, a brass lamp and small brass plates of yellow flowers, a white cloth and offerings laid on an orange cloth. A second priest behind him, partly visible, also tends the ritual items. A lit oil lamp sits on a patterned mat, and a red-and-white cloth lies in the background. Visible persons are priests, not a person.2011-11-09December 17 20112011-12-17December 31 20112011-12-31