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Night outdoor photo of an aarti ceremony. Two priests in white dhotis and white shawls with red-and-gold borders stand on a raised walkway, each lifting a lit oil lamp or camphor flame high in one hand. Brass lamps and offerings sit on the ground at right. Large crowds of seated, mostly white-clad devotees fill the background, lit by small string lights and tall lamp posts, with two white stone pillars at left.

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Night photo of an outdoor aarti at Tiruvannamalai. Two priests in white dhotis and shoulder cloths, one with a red-bordered cloth and a bare upper torso, raise oil lamps and a brass lamp stand with flames toward the dark sky. A row of brass vessels and lamps sits on a mat beside them. Behind them a large seated crowd in white clothes faces the stage, with string lights and white pillars at the left edge. Two women in the foreground have flowers in their hair.2011-04-17Night outdoor ritual scene at a temple-like courtyard. Two priests in white dhotis and white shawls stand on a raised stone platform holding lit oil lamps and brass vessels, facing right. Brass lamps and offering items sit on the ground in front. A street lamp glows in the background, and a large crowd of seated people in white clothes fills the dark courtyard. Women in the foreground have jasmine flowers in their hair. Lit oil lamps line the distant area.2011-04-17Night outdoor aarti at a Tiruvannamalai temple courtyard. Two priests in white dhotis with red-and-gold borders stand at right and centre, raising multi-wick brass oil lamps (aarti lamps) and ringing handbells. The right priest has white sacred marks on his bare upper body and a red-and-white shawl over his shoulder. Seated devotees in white clothes fill the background, with brass lamps and a bell set on a mat in the foreground. A white pillar and a lamp post stand at left under dark trees.2011-04-17Night outdoor ritual at a temple-like courtyard with dim lamps and dark trees behind. Two shaven-headed priests in white dhotis and shawls stand on a sandy floor, holding small silver bells in their right hands; the nearer priest has a red-and-white-bordered shawl and white sacred marks on his upper body, while the other wears a white dhoti with a yellow border and an orange cloth at the waist. Brass oil lamps and ritual vessels are arranged on mats before them, and a seated woman in a red sari sits among them. Several dozen devotees in white sit on the ground in rows behind, along with women in saris and children in the foreground, watching the rite. Electric lamps and a flame-lit lamp stand near the seating area.2011-04-17Night outdoor ceremony at a temple-like open courtyard lit by a few electric lamps and a string of small lights. Two priests in white dhotis and shawls with red-bordered cloth stand at the right and centre, each holding a lit brass aarti lamp aloft, a classic aarti offering. The foreground priest is bare-chested with white and red sacred marks on his arm. Rows of white-clad seated devotees fill the right and background, with a large crowd beyond. Along the left, a raised platform with white pillars holds garlanded deity murtis and a row of offerings. Dark trees form the backdrop, and a small lit oil lamp sits on the ground in front of the platform.2011-04-17Night outdoor ritual photograph of an aarti at an evening temple-grounds gathering. In the foreground a shaved-headed priest in white dhoti and white shawl with red border holds a brass lamp of several flames toward the crowd, with white markings on his arms and a rudraksha-style bead necklace. Behind him another priest in white holds a lit lamp, and a tall tiered lamp stand glows with many small flames. Seated devotees in white and yellow-bordered saris and dhotis, some with hands folded, fill the walkway, with a large crowd of standing people in white stretching into the dark background. Lamps and small flames line the steps at right.2011-04-17Night photograph of an outdoor evening aarti at a Tiruvannamalai ceremony. In the left foreground a shaved-headed priest in white dhoti and shawl with a white-painted torso holds a multi-flame brass lamp toward the crowd. Behind him a second priest in white raises a tall tiered oil-lamp arrangement high overhead, with flames visible. Seated women and girls in white and yellow saris kneel on the ground, some with hands folded in prayer, and a large crowd in white clothing stands and sits in the darkness beyond. A bell rests on the floor, and small lamps glow along the edge of a raised platform at right. The main subject is the aarti offering by the priests.2011-04-17April 17 20112011-04-17Night photograph of an outdoor aarti at a large gathering. Three or four men in white ritual dhotis and shawls, one with a red-striped shawl, stand in the foreground holding lit oil lamps and flames aloft. A dense crowd of people in white clothes sits on the ground behind them, with strings of small lights and street lamps illuminating the dark open ground. No identifiable a person figure is clearly visible.2011-04-17April 17 20112011-04-17Night outdoor aarti at a temple-style ground, lit by floodlights and strings of small lights. In the foreground a priest in white dhoti and shirt with red-bordered shawl holds a brass lamp aloft with a bright flame, while a second priest in white stands further back holding a lamp. Brass puja vessels and a bell rest on a mat before them. Rows of seated devotees in white and colourful saris and dhotis fill the right side, and white pillars and seating blocks mark the courtyard on the left.2011-04-17Night-time outdoor ritual photograph in which three priests in white dhotis and white shawls stand in a row on a raised platform, holding lit flames or oil lamps aloft. Brass ritual vessels and bells sit on the ground in front of them, and a large crowd of people dressed in white is seated in the darkness beyond. A single street lamp and a string of small lights mark the edge of the gathering. The scene appears to be an evening puja or aarti.2011-04-17