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Night photograph of a fire-walking ritual pit: a long strip of glowing red embers and ash runs through a cleared sandy path, bordered by wooden stakes and bamboo poles held by people in white clothes. At the far end, a raised white platform bearing a decorated deity murti or palanquin sits under a bright light, with a tall pole and a palm tree behind it. A large crowd of mostly white-clad devotees stands along both sides, watching the procession and fire-walking activity. Some men in white kurtas and dhotis stand near the pit, and a bunting strip stretches across the background.

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December 30 20062006-12-30December 30 20062006-12-30Night photo of a fire-walking pit at an outdoor temple ground. A long trench of glowing red embers and grey ash smokes in the foreground, bordered by packed earth and bamboo poles laid as barriers. Behind the barrier, a crowd of men in white dhotis and white shirts stands watching, some with lanyards, with women in saris visible at the right edge. A lit lamp or kalasha-like object is raised on a pole in the background under strings of bunting, with a figure in white near the pit's far end. No individual's face is clearly identifiable as a person; the scene shows a fire-walking ritual rather than a clearly identified presence.2006-12-30Night photograph of a fire-walking ritual pit. A long trench of glowing red embers and ash smoulders in the foreground, bordered by wooden poles and sticks laid across it. Behind it, a crowd of men in white dhotis and white shirts stands and watches around a raised white platform. On the platform is a lit lantern or oil lamp, a dark deity murti with garlands, and metal pots and vessels. Palm trees and a strip of blue and white bunting stretch across the dark background. The scene reads as a fire-walking ritual with devotees gathered around the altar, but no one is shown walking the coals and no prominent figure is singled out.2006-12-30December 30 20062006-12-30December 30 20062006-12-30Night photograph of a fire-walking ritual on a dirt ground lined with bamboo poles. A long pit covered with glowing embers and red flower petals runs down the centre. Many devotees in white clothing stand in dense crowds on both sides, and a few men in white with orange cloths walk near the pit. A lit lamp or light stands in the background beside a temple-like structure. Overhead and background are dark. The scene shows a fire-walking ritual held at night.2006-12-30Night photograph of a fire-walking ritual in an outdoor temple courtyard. A long pit of glowing red embers runs across the foreground, with smoke rising from it, bordered by wooden poles and rails. Many people dressed in white stand along the rails, some in white dhotis and shirts, one in a yellow-bordered sari. In the background a lit lamp stands on a raised platform near a tall pole, with a deity murti and white-draped structure beneath, under a string of pennant flags. A man in white with a blue bucket stands near the pit edge. No single person can be confidently identified as the a person from appearance alone.2006-12-30Night photograph of a fire-walking ritual. A bed of glowing embers and ash runs down the centre of a dirt pathway, bordered by wooden rails. In the foreground a man in a white shirt and white dhoti walks along the path, wearing a pendant on a cord and holding a folded white cloth. Behind him, devotees in white clothes line both sides of the rails, and a lit torch or lamp-topped structure glows at the far end under a tree.2006-12-30Night fire-walking ritual in an earthen pit covered with glowing red-pink flower petals and embers, with a small flame at one end. Men in white dhotis and shirts walk along the sides of the pit, one carrying a long bamboo pole, while a large crowd stands behind bamboo barriers watching under a dark sky. A tall lit lamp or structure appears in the background. The scene shows a fire-walking ritual performed at night.2006-12-30Night photograph of a fire-walking ritual on dirt ground. A long trench of glowing white-grey embers runs down the centre, bordered by wooden rails. A man in white clothes and a white cap stands at the left edge of the trench, while another person in white walks or steps across the embers near the centre. Behind the rails, a large crowd of people in mostly white clothing, with some orange and saffron garments, watches closely. A lit illuminated palanquin or ratha with decorative lamps stands in the background, with a strung bunting line above and dark trees beyond.2006-12-30Night photograph of a firewalk or fire-bed ritual outdoors. A long strip of glowing red embers runs across dark ground in the foreground. Behind it, a crowd of devotees stands at the edge, mostly in white ritual clothing; several women wear white saris with red borders, and a man on the right wears a white shirt and white dhoti-style garment. A man on the left holds a flower bunch and a woman in the centre holds a small object. Some people hold green leaves and garlands. A tall white stone pillar and a flag on a pole stand in the background.2015-05-05