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Night photograph of a firewalking ritual on bare earth. A glowing bed of embers runs through a shallow trench in the foreground. Several saffron-robed monks with shaved heads stand at the edge; one in the right foreground leans forward, pointing toward the embers. A barefoot figure in orange cloth with gold border stands on the left. Behind them a crowd of onlookers in white and light clothing watches, some with garlands, and a rising smoke haze fills the dark background.

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April 03 20132013-04-03Night photo of a fire-walking ritual on dark earth. A glowing pit of embers runs across the foreground, and a man in a white shirt and dark trousers walks across it at the centre. Around him, several people in orange and saffron robes, some with white-painted foreheads, stand close to the pit, and a line of white-clad devotees watches from the background. Smoke rises at the top left. A figure in orange cloth stands at the far left edge and a robed person appears at the right edge. The image is a dim, blurred photograph. The walker's identity cannot be confirmed from appearance alone.2013-04-03April 03 20132013-04-03April 03 20132013-04-03Night photograph of a fire-walking ritual on bare ground with a smouldering dark bed of ash and embers. A central figure with long dark hair, a red bindi, a rudraksha mala and a gold beaded garland over saffron-orange robes with yellow borders stands barefoot on a stone slab at the edge of the fire. Several saffron-robed sannyasis and a bald priest with white ash marks stand alongside, and a man in white dhoti and shirt holds his hands together to the right.2013-04-03Night photograph of a fire-walking (thimithi) ritual on bare ground. Glowing red embers and ash fill the foreground. Several barefoot people stand at the edge, their legs and feet visible but faces cropped out. One central figure wears a dark maroon cloth, a white flower garland over the shoulders and carries a long dark pole or staff across the body. Others wear white dhotis or cloths with gold borders and a figure at left wears yellow-gold shorts and dark ankle ornaments. Small yellow turmeric or powder marks lie on the ground, with a few scattered flower petals among the coals.2018-01-03 +1 copiesNight photograph of a fire-walking ritual on bare ground. Glowing red embers and ash fill the lower foreground, with smoke rising at right. A man in a dark maroon garment and a long garland of white flowers stands at the edge, holding a tall twisted metal rod; his feet are bare beside a yellow-powdered strip on the ground. Several people in white dhotis with gold borders stand behind and to the right, their faces cropped out of frame. Scattered flower petals lie on the coals and a small lemon sits near the left edge.2018-01-03Night photograph of a fire-walking ritual. In the foreground, a dark pit lined with glowing red embers fills the lower half of the frame. Behind it, a crowd of roughly two dozen people stands along a bamboo fence under a bright lamp, with a lit lantern or shrine light hanging among palm fronds above. A central figure in a red-orange robe with a red shawl and a beaded mala stands at the front of the group, flanked by men in white dhoti-style clothing and one man in a green jacket. Strings of small triangular pennants run along the top. The scene suggests a fire-walking ceremony at night with devotees gathered to watch.2006-12-30December 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.2006-12-30December 30 20062006-12-30Night 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.2006-12-30