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Outdoor Pongal ritual on a dirt courtyard decorated with white kolam rangoli designs. A bearded man in white dhoti and orange shawl with a rudraksha-style mala stands barefoot, holding a lit oil lamp in one hand and a brass bell in the other. Around him, a crowd of roughly two dozen people with hands folded in prayer, many in white clothes and orange shawls, with a woman in orange sari at right and a girl in blue dress. Offerings on the ground include a steel plate of rice with coconut and bananas, rice mounds on banana leaves, flowers, a coconut and sugarcane stalks. A clay stove with fire sits at left and a black water tank stands under trees behind.

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Outdoor photo of a ritual at dusk in a courtyard with a water tank and palm trees behind. A bearded man with long hair, wearing a white dhoti and an orange shawl with a rudraksha mala, holds a brass oil lamp with a lit flame in both hands. Around him stand a crowd of devotees in white and orange clothing with palms pressed together in namaskar, including women in orange saris and girls in white and teal. On the ground is a white kolam design with metal plates of rice, bananas, flowers and a coconut, plus banana leaves holding rice, and a brass lamp stand and kalasha pot. The scene appears to be a pongal-style offering with aarti.2006-01-15January 16 20072007-01-16January 16 20072007-01-16January 16 20072007-01-16Outdoor 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.2006-01-15Outdoor ritual at an ashram beside a thatched hut with dried straw roof. A woman in orange sari bends over a steel plate of cooked rice and bananas beside a small flame on the ground. Rangoli kolam patterns in white powder decorate the earth, with banana leaves holding flowers, a coconut and fruit, and sugarcane stalks lying nearby. Around them stand a line of devotees: women in white with orange shawls and rudraksha malas, a woman in a brown sari, a girl in orange trousers, and a man in white at right pouring water from a vessel. The scene resembles a Mattu Pongal cow-worship offering, but no cow is visible.2007-01-16January 16 20072007-01-16A photograph of an outdoor Pongal-style offering on bare earth decorated with white rangoli kolam lines. A small flame burns on a brass lamp beside a brass kalasha-like pot, with brass oil lamps and incense sticks. Banana leaves hold cooked white rice, coconut halves and flower offerings, and two metal plates hold bananas, rice and flowers. Sugarcane stalks lie across the ground. Five to six people stand at the top edge wearing white dhotis and white kurtas, with orange shawls and one woman in a sari, with some barefoot. Their faces are cropped out and no person is clearly identifiable.2006-01-15July 27 20082008-07-27Outdoor puja scene under palm and banana trees beside an ornate copper-coloured shrine. A standing priest in orange robes with a maroon-bordered shawl, a yellow-beaded rudraksha-style necklace and a tilak on his forehead holds a silver bell in one hand and a lit aarti lamp in the other. Seated on a yellow cloth over a blue mat, a young man in white with a yellow shawl holds a brass tray of small vessels, and another man in yellow sits in front holding a tray of yellow flowers. Several devotees sit behind with hands folded in prayer, including a woman in a pink sari and a woman in a green blouse. Banana-leaf poles and a garland decorate the area.2009-09-25Outdoor photo of a crowd gathered in a dirt yard beside tall bamboo and a water tank for a ritual with cattle. Several black cows stand at left near bamboo poles. A man in white dhoti and orange shawl stands at right, holding a small vessel, while a line of devotees in white, orange and yellow clothing watch and fold their hands. A woman in orange sari stands at far right with hands joined. At the centre, a small fire smoulders in a clay pot on a kolam-decorated floor, with banana bunches, a brass plate of rice and fruit, a plate of flowers, and green leaves in the foreground. A long wooden stick lies diagonally on the ground. Around thirty people are visible.2006-01-15A photograph of an outdoor homa (fire ritual) at an ashram. In the centre, a long-haired man in a saffron-orange robe stands at the edge of a square brick fire pit containing small burning sticks, with yellow flower petals on the bricks. He wears a large orange and white garland and holds a silver plate of flowers. A younger man in an orange robe and white dhoti stands behind him holding a wooden staff. Around them, a crowd of devotees dressed in white clothes with gold borders stands with palms pressed together in namaste; several women wear orange shawls. Brass vessels, a bowl of green leaves, a microphone on a stand and a cluster of pink and white flowers lie on the mat. Green trees and an orange canopy form the background.2008-07-27