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Night photograph of an outdoor ritual at Tiruvannamalai. Two standing priests in white dhotis, one bare-chested with a red-edged cloth and rudraksha-style cord, raise large brass fan-shaped ritual objects overhead. Behind them a crowd of seated devotees, many in white and yellow, sits on the ground, with a single street lamp and a string of colourful flags overhead. Brass ritual vessels rest at the lower left.

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April 17 20112011-04-17Night-time outdoor ritual at a temple-style courtyard with a crowd seated and standing behind. Two men in white dhotis with bare upper bodies and white tilak markings stand in the foreground; the nearer one has a white cloth over his shoulder and a rudraksha-style neck cord, and the other has a gold-bordered white cloth. Seated in front are children and women in white and yellow, and a golden ceremonial umbrella is held up on the left. Brass ritual vessels and lamps sit on a mat at the bottom left, and oil lamps burn along a platform on the right under a strip of coloured bunting. A single street lamp lights the scene against a dark sky.2011-04-17Night 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 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.2011-04-17April 17 20112011-04-17Night 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 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.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 event at Tiruvannamalai Adheenam: a large seated crowd of many people in white and light clothing fills the foreground. Two men in white dhotis, one bare-chested with sacred markings, stand near a stone pillar holding long sticks or poles aloft, while others in the background stand and watch under a row of small lights strung along a rope. A street lamp glows above. A white banner with printed text hangs at left.2011-04-17Night outdoor aarti at a temple-like courtyard with a dark sky above. In the foreground a shaved-headed priest in white dhoti and shawl holds a brass lamp tray with multiple flames in his right hand. Behind him a second priest in white raises a large tiered brass lamp high overhead, its flames blazing. Other white-clad priests stand and kneel nearby, and a line of seated devotees in white and yellow clothing sit on the sandy ground, some with hands pressed together in prayer. A crowd of standing and seated people fills the background, with small oil lamps glowing along the ground and a white pillar and steps at the right edge. Brass vessels rest on the floor near the seated women.2011-04-17Night outdoor photo of a devotional aarti at an open-air ground lit by small lamps and a few tall street lamps. In the foreground a bald man in white dhoti and shawl stands barefoot on a woven mat, holding a large brass lamp with a bright flame in both hands. Behind him another man in white holds a lit lamp stand, and an ornate lit lamp tower glows in the background. Rows of devotees in white clothes sit on mats facing the lamps with palms pressed together in prayer, and brass ritual vessels lie on the mat in front. A white pillar and a white platform with red-and-white striped borders stand to the right.2011-04-17April 17 20112011-04-17