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A photograph of a firewalking ritual at an outdoor dirt ground at dusk. A woman in a white sari with a dark pendant necklace and bangles steps along a narrow trench of glowing embers and ash, her hand extended for balance. Beside her, a man in white dhoti and shirt stands barefoot near the trench. Another man in white dhoti wears an orange shawl and a rudraksha-style necklace, and several other men in white dhotis, some with orange shawls, watch from behind. A boy in a striped shirt stands at right, and a blue tarpaulin, a parked silver SUV and a golden spire are visible in the background. The scene reads as a firewalk (tapas) ceremony.

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Outdoor firewalk ceremony at an ashram site with a dirt ground. In the foreground a man in white dhoti and shirt walks barefoot across a pit of dark glowing embers, and a woman in white robes with a rudraksha-style necklace and hair in a bun steps beside him. A crowd in white ritual clothes stands behind, including a few people in saffron/orange shawls, and children and women in saris watch from the right. A small white shrine with a brass finial stands at left, with clay pots and buckets nearby. Scattered wood and straw lie on the ground. The scene shows a firewalk (Thimithi-style tapas) ritual.2007-02-14Outdoor photograph of a firewalking preparation at a sandy site with a long, blackened fire trench in the foreground. A standing man in a white shirt and dark trousers, hands pressed together in namaste, stands at the trench edge with his feet bare. Beside him, a man in white dhoti and shirt wears an orange shawl and a rudraksha-style mala, and several men in white dhotis with orange shawls stand along the trench. A white-clad priest-like figure with a shaved head stands near a white painted stone structure topped by a bull statue (Nandi). A white SUV and trees appear in the background. Several people, including women in saris and children, stand nearby.2007-02-14Outdoor scene at a firewalk site with bare earth and a dark pit of glowing embers and ash. A woman in white with a white headband and beads walks barefoot through the pit with palms pressed together in prayer. Nearby, a man in white dhoti and shirt stands beside a second man in white. Behind them a crowd of devotees in white robes and mala beads watches, including two men in saffron/orange shawls. A white stepped structure and a black stone sculpture stand in the background, with a blue bucket, a pink bucket, and a brass pot at left.2007-02-14Outdoor firewalk ceremony at an ashram site beside a white stepped shrine topped by a dark stone bull statue. A woman in a white dress with a white headband walks barefoot over glowing embers in a shallow pit, steadied by a man in white dhoti and shirt who reaches out to her. Around them, devotees in white clothes and rudraksha malas stand watching, including a bearded man with long hair and a woman in a white sari, while others in orange shawls and women in purple and maroon saris look on. A vehicle is parked at the upper right.2007-02-14Outdoor photograph of a firewalking ritual at a dirt-floored ground with palm trees and low tiled buildings behind. In the foreground a woman in a white sari with gold borders stands in a shallow pit of yellow liquid. A man in a white dhoti and kurta with a folded white cloth over his shoulder and a distinctive shaved, topknot-styled head walks away from a dark glowing fire trench on the right. Around them a crowd of devotees in white and orange clothing, some wearing rudraksha-style malas, stand on blue tarpaulin. A man in the center has long hair, an orange shawl and white kurta. Roughly fifteen people visible.2007-02-14February 14 20072007-02-14February 14 20072007-02-14A firewalk ceremony at an outdoor sandy site. A man in white dhoti and orange shawl with a rudraksha mala steps across a shallow trench of glowing embers and ash while several men in white dhotis and orange shawls stand around the pit. Onlookers including women in saris and children watch from the right. In the foreground a bald man in orange shawl holds a tall golden ritual staff with a finial. Scattered straw and dark ash cover the ground.2007-02-14Outdoor photo at a dusty ground beside a white pillared structure and palm trees. In the foreground, a man in white dhoti and orange shawl walks barefoot across a dark trench of glowing embers filled with water on the far side. Behind him, a long line of people in white dhotis and white garments stands watching, some holding flower bundles. A dark ash heap and small brass and copper pots sit on the left. Partially visible in the lower left is another person in orange and white. A fire-walking ritual is shown; the scene includes a white-clad priest standing by the pit.2007-02-14A photograph of a firewalk ceremony outdoors on bare earth. A dark charred fire pit lies in the foreground with a long trench of glowing embers and ash. A woman in white clothes with a rudraksha mala and a white shawl walks toward the camera, smiling. Beside her a man in white dhoti stands at the pit edge. Behind them, a crowd of about two dozen people in white, some with orange shawls, gathers near a white ritual structure and a pair of brass kalasha pots. Palm trees and a parked white van are visible in the background.2007-02-14February 14 20072007-02-14Outdoor photograph of a firewalk preparation at a dirt ground with a bed of dark ash and charred embers in the foreground. Around it a group of devotees in white clothes stands and kneels near a white stepped platform topped by a black stone Nandi bull with a striped cloth. A man in white at left holds his hands together in namaste near a brass kalasha-like pot and a pink bucket. A bearded man with long hair wears a white kurta with a rudraksha mala. Two younger men wear orange shawls over white. A woman in a white sari with a mala smiles at lower right. Dry straw and a parked silver vehicle appear in the background.2007-02-14