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A man in white dhoti and an orange shawl kneels on bare earth decorated with white kolam lines, lighting a brass oil lamp with a flame. Around him stand barefoot devotees in white dhotis and orange saris and salwar. Brass lamps, incense sticks, a steel plate of pink flowers and a bowl of ash sit on the ground, with a plate of food in the foreground. The scene looks like a puja or outdoor ritual.

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January 16 20072007-01-16Outdoor ritual at the Kanchipuram ashram land inauguration: a central figure in saffron-orange robes with an orange head wrap, long dark hair, and a garland of white and yellow flowers holds a small lit flame over a pit in the ground, with a yellow-flowered garland at his feet. Several men in white dhotis and shirts stand around with palms pressed together, and an older bearded man in orange and a garland stands to the left. Above is a striped purple and white canopy with leafy decoration. The pit is lined with flower petals and a rangoli border, with brass vessels and a plate of offerings nearby. Ritual fire worship, bhoomi pooja setting.2006-11-24Outdoor homa ceremony on a mat-covered sandy floor under palm trees. A shaved-headed man in an orange saffron robe, a gold-beaded necklace and a red-and-gold rudraksha-style bead mala sits cross-legged with hands folded at the centre of the group. Men in white dhotis and yellow shawls attend around him: one kneels holding a silver vessel, another offers a brass tray of lamps and small bowls, and a wooden stake rises beside the sacred area marked with white powder lines. Marigold petals and small bowls of rice lie on the ground. Several seated white-clad participants sit in the background.2009-09-26July 07 20092009-07-07 +1 copiesOutdoor Pongal ritual on a dirt ground with white kolam rangoli patterns. A bearded man in white dhoti and an orange shawl with rudraksha mala holds a lit oil lamp and a brass vessel, standing barefoot at the center. Around him a large group of devotees in white and orange stands with palms pressed together, including young women in white churidar and orange saris and children in white and teal. A bronze lamp burns on the ground, with a plate of bananas, fruit, sweets and a coconut on banana leaves, and a clay stove with a fire in the foreground. Sugarcane stalks lie beside the offerings, and a steel vessel of rice sits nearby.2006-01-15Night outdoor ritual on bare red earth at a Rajapalayam Adheenam inauguration. A central figure in a saffron-orange robe and orange turban, wearing a multicolour flower garland and gold necklace, holds a flaming lamp over a small pit with marigold and flower offerings. Around them, many people in white dhotis and mundus stand with palms pressed together in namaskar. A boy in white holds a silver tray of marigolds, and a man in an orange shawl and rudraksha mala stands at left. Women in white saris and a girl in white also join with folded hands, and a small brass lamp sits on the ground. Banana leaves and parked vehicles are visible at the edge.2007-08-17A photograph inside a plain room with blue walls and a wall clock, showing a devotee in an orange robe with a rudraksha mala bending forward to light or lift a small oil lamp on the floor. Behind him, several men in white dhotis and shirts stand with palms pressed together in namaskar, and a man in a red shirt with a gold chain stands at the left edge. On the right, a table covered with banana leaves, fruit, flower garlands, a bowl of white offerings and a brass lamp holds a framed picture, with a brass kuthuvilakku lamp nearby. The orange-robed figure has long, swept-back hair and a rudraksha mala, with no visible crown or ceremonial gold necklace, so the a person identity is uncertain; he is described by role only.2006-12-17February 18 20112011-02-18 +1 copiesOutdoor puja on bare dry ground beside a wooden pole. A figure in an orange shawl over orange robes, with a rudraksha mala and a ceremonial gold necklace, sits at a woven striped mat, pouring or adding substance into a small brass bowl. Nearby, young men in white kurtas with yellow shawls kneel: one holds a brass tray of flowers and offerings, another holds a plate of small brass cups, and one at the left lights a small flame in a dish. Brass pots and a kalasha-style vessel sit on the mat with marigolds and pink flowers.2009-09-25Night-time outdoor ritual on bare reddish earth beneath a dark sky and a green leafy canopy edge at upper right. A central figure in an orange-red robe and matching orange turban stands barefoot, wearing a long multicolour flower garland and holding a small brass bell in one hand, with a lit oil lamp or fire held toward a small pile of yellow flowers and leaves on the ground. Around him a crowd of about twenty people in white dhotis, white shirts and saris, many with hands folded in prayer. A young boy at left holds a brass plate of yellow flowers and another brass vessel. Several people wear orange shawls and rudraksha malas; one older man wears a red and gold rosette. Scene suggests a small consecration or puja at the site.2007-08-17A homa ritual outdoors on a blue and red mat under a canopy. A bald man in orange robes and a gold-beaded necklace sits cross-legged on the ground, hands over a small flame in a brass dish beside a wooden post with yellow marigold petals. Around him a seated man in white with a yellow shawl holds a brass tray of offerings, and another man in white with a yellow shawl tends a brass lamp with lit wicks. Behind them rows of seated devotees in white and yellow clothing, including women in white saris, and a young woman in a white top watch. Brass plates of prasad sit at the left edge.2009-09-26July 07 20092009-07-07 +1 copies