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A night photograph inside a large tent hung with colourful tassels and paper decorations. In the foreground a priest in a saffron-orange head wrap, white dhoti with a striped yellow and green border, and beaded malas leans forward to offer a lit camphor flame over an ornate golden canopy. The canopy shelters a deity murti draped in orange cloth and garlanded with white and yellow flowers. Brass vessels, a plate of bananas and fruit, and marigold heaps surround the altar on a red cloth. Seated devotees in white fill the crowd behind, some with hands folded, and a cameraman stands at left. The scene appears to be an aarti or puja during a satsang gathering.

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December 05 20162016-12-05 +1 copiesDecember 05 20162016-12-05Evening ritual inside a large tented hall decorated with hanging colourful streamers and lamps. In the foreground a golden peetha-style altar holds a deity murti or decorated seat, draped with white and yellow flower garlands and surrounded by fruit, flower trays, brass bowls and a kalasha. A priest in a yellow-and-saffron shawl over white dhoti stands at right, raising a lit camphor flame and a bell, while a seated attendant in white with a bare upper body sits at lower left. A large seated audience of women and men in white and bright saris fills the background.2016-12-05December 05 20162016-12-05A photograph inside a large decorated tent during a ritual worship. Several bare-chested men in white dhotis with red-and-green or orange borders stand and kneel around a golden ornate seat holding a deity murti or image decorated with white flower garlands and yellow marigolds. One man in a yellow shawl pours or offers from a metal vessel, while another in orange holds a bowl. Brass vessels and a tray of offerings sit on the red-covered platform. A seated audience of women in saris, some wearing white, sits on the floor, and a camera on a boom arm is visible. Hanging colourful paper decorations and tassels line the ceiling. No individual is clearly identifiable as a person from appearance.2016-12-05A temple ritual in a covered hall with a tent-like ceiling hung with colourful paper lanterns and streamers. A bare-chested priest in a yellow dhoti pours liquid from a golden vessel, while an officiant in white dhoti and a white shawl stands before a fire pit with a red and gold altar. Flower garlands and bananas decorate the offering tables with brass lamps and kalasha pots. Seated devotees fill the background, and a standing man in white clothing with a grey beard stands at right with hands folded. Homa/yagna rite with abhishekam-style offering.2016-12-15December 05 20162016-12-05December 05 20162016-12-05A temple-style puja at a large tented venue with red carpet and hanging string decorations. In the foreground, a shirtless young priest with a saffron cloth over his shoulder sits cross-legged facing a golden ornate peetha draped in orange cloth and garlanded with white flowers, marigolds and red blossoms. Offerings of bananas, apples, oranges, pomegranates, flower petals and rice sit on silver plates, and oil lamps burn nearby. Two priests in white dhotis with coloured borders stand to the right, one holding a lamp, and a seated audience in white and coloured clothing fills the background.2016-12-05Night-time ritual inside a decorated open pavilion with a white tent ceiling and hanging string lights in orange, blue and white. A priest in a green-and-gold wrapped cloth and a bare chest, his hair in a knot, raises a burning camphor or fire lamp in front of a ritual altar piled with marigold garlands, banana leaves, brass plates and pink offerings. A younger attendant in white dhoti and cloth stands beside the altar, reaching toward the offerings. A seated figure with a shaved head and dark robe sits at left near a golden lion-shaped throne and a large golden sunburst backrest. Several devotees sit in the background on striped mats. The scene reads as an aarti or puja at a temple-style setting.2016-12-15December 05 20162016-12-05A tented hall decorated with hanging colourful tassels, paper lanterns and oil lamps shows a fire ritual in progress. A bare-chested priest in white dhoti with a striped border, wearing an orange cloth and a flower garland, leans over a wooden homa fire pit on a red carpet, lighting it with a flame while offerings of fruit, flowers and brass vessels surround the pit. Two men in white dhoti stand at left, one speaking into a microphone, others with hands folded. Behind them a large seated crowd, many men bare-chested in white, sits in rows. On the right a seated figure in saffron-orange robes wears a crown-like headdress, rudraksha-style beads and a white flower garland, seated on a gold-and-red throne. The scene reads as a homa with puja offerings.2016-12-05