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A large open pavilion with a sandy floor during a fire ritual, with smoke drifting through the air. Many devotees sit in rows on the floor in white clothes, some with cloths over their shoulders, several with hands pressed together in prayer. Each person sits beside a raised white square platform holding a small fire pit or havan vessel. Tall bamboo poles with palm fronds and rows of tube lights line the hall. Banners hang along the back walls, one showing a portrait of a shaved-headed figure in white and saffron cloth beside Tamil text. Fluorescent lights overhead illuminate the scene.