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A row of devotees in white clothing sits cross-legged on a mat during a puja, each holding a lit oil lamp or camphor flame aloft in both hands. Women, children and men line the floor, some wearing rudraksha beads and gold bangles. In front of them stretch brass plates heaped with yellow flowers, fruit, sweets and small brass oil lamps, with brass cups and white conch shells on the mat. An orange cloth hangs in the background beside a white draped wall.

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November 07 20092009-11-07November 07 20092009-11-07 +1 copiesNovember 07 20092009-11-07November 07 20092009-11-07November 07 20092009-11-07 +1 copiesSeptember 21 20112011-09-21Photograph of a long row of devotees seated on the floor in white clothes, performing a puja with brass plates of yellow flowers, small brass lamps, bells and conch-shaped vessels set on blue and red woven mats. Several women in white saris and a young boy in a white shirt hold bells or reach toward lit oil lamps; one woman in the foreground wears a red bindi and a wristwatch. An orange cone-shaped cloth and a blue-and-yellow hanging decorate the white tent-like hall behind them.2009-11-07Photograph of a large group of women seated on the floor in a covered pavilion during a vilakku pooja, lighting oil lamps. Many wear white saris and some have blue or patterned blouses, with beaded necklaces and tulsi-style beads. Each woman holds or sits beside a brass oil lamp and a plate of flowers and offerings on a mat, with flames flickering in the smoky dim light. Decorative orange and blue cloth banners hang from the pavilion roof, and a few men in white stand at the back. No clearly identifiable a person is visible in the scene.2006-12-31Photograph of a seated row of participants in a hall performing a ritual with brass oil lamps (diyas) held in outstretched hands. Men in white dhotis and cloths with maroon borders sit at left, and a woman in a white sari with a red border sits near the centre, with a blonde woman among others. Brass plates hold rice, red flower petals, incense sticks, a conch shell and small cups on mats in front of them. Several men in white kurtas hold lamps, and a wristwatch and beaded bracelets are visible. Clear plastic containers and a blue bowl sit on the floor. Lit lamps are scattered down the row, and the background is a pale hall with more seated figures and lamps.2011-07-23A large seated congregation holds lit oil lamps in a hall during an evening devotional gathering. Many participants wear white ritual clothes with yellow or orange-red shawls and sindoor or vibhuti on their foreheads. In the foreground, a woman in an orange sari and a woman in an orange shawl hold flames toward their faces and the lamps, with brass plates of offerings and marigold garlands on the floor.2010-12-28A large seated gathering of devotees performs a ritual with lit oil lamps in a hall with pink curtains and white walls. Women in the foreground wear orange, maroon and cream saris and hold small diyas or lamps, some with brass lamp stands. Men in white dhotis and shirts sit in rows behind them. Brass plates with fruit, flowers and offerings lie on the floor on red and orange mats, with small brass vessels among them. The scene suggests a pada puja or aarti in progress, with many participants lifting lamps together.2011-12-31Women in cream and gold-bordered saris sit in a long row on a polished white floor during a lamp ritual, each before a brass oil lamp (vilakku) lit with flames, with banana leaf trays of flowers, fruit and incense sticks. A small boy in a checked shirt sits among them, and a woman in a red blouse beside him holds a lamp. A woman in the foreground wears a jasmine garland and tends a lamp. Behind them a robed priest in orange sits near a shrine, and drummers with drums sit at the right edge. Thick incense smoke rises through the hall.2014-06-29 +1 copies