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Night photograph of a tall, slender wooden deepam pole rising from an ornately carved base with relief panels, its top hung with flowers and lamps against a black sky. A woman in a white and grey leopard-print shawl and orange garment pulls on a long rope that runs up the pole, with a palm frond behind her. At the right edge, a person in an orange robe with a beaded necklace looks upward at the pole. This appears to be a Karthikai Deepam lamp-lighting rite, with the pole serving as the lamp stand.

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Night photo of a tall copper flagstaff (dhvaja stambham) with ornate carved base and a white cloth flag tied to its tip. Two men in orange saffron robes pull on ropes at the pole: the one in the centre, with a gold-beaded mala, stretches both arms up and looks skyward, while the man on the right, bare-shouldered in orange cloth, hauls on the rope beside him. Palm fronds decorate the base, and a palm tree silhouette stands in the dark background with a lit banner edge above.2010-11-12November 12 20102010-11-12November 12 20102010-11-12December 12 20162016-12-12Night photo of a tall copper ceremonial lamp pole, lit from above by a single bright light near the top, with a rope hanging from it. A standing man in orange saffron robes with a gold-bordered sash and a gold bead necklace, wearing a leopard-print shawl, holds the rope and looks toward it. In the foreground at right, another person in orange robes stands with back partly turned. The pole is carved with figures and has ring bands near its base, and a white cloth lies at the bottom of the frame.2010-11-21November 21 20102010-11-21Night photo of a tall, carved wooden dhwaja-stambham style flagstaff or lamp pole rising diagonally on the left, its base ornately carved with relief panels. Two men in saffron-orange robes with gold borders work a long orange rope that runs up the pole. The man in the centre, wearing a leopard-print shawl and a beaded necklace, reaches overhead gripping the rope; the man on the right, bare-armed in orange with gold trim, pulls the rope while a figure in white cloth stands beside him. Pink petals and flower bits scatter through the dark air above.2010-11-21December 12 20162016-12-12December 20 20102010-12-20December 20 20102010-12-20Night photograph of a dwajarohana flag-hoisting ceremony. A tall copper flagstaff with a wheat-sheaf and green leaf bundle at its base is raised upward, with a cloud of colourful petals and confetti falling from its top. Two people pull a white rope: a figure in a yellow-green sari-style garment stretches arms high, and a person in a saffron-orange wrap with gold border stands beside them. Yellow and pink marigold garlands drape the carved copper base. Palm fronds and orange triangular pennants appear against the dark blue sky under a white roof.2010-12-20Night photograph of a ritual flag hoisting at a temple. A tall copper-clad flagstaff with ringed segments rises on the left, its base carved with reliefs and decorated with palm-frond fringes. Two monks in orange robes pull ropes that raise a white cloth and a red-and-white flag topped with a yellow marigold garland. The taller monk in the centre, bare-armed with orange wrap and beaded necklace, grips the rope overhead; a second monk on the right, in an orange shawl, steadies the line. Marigold petals lie on the ground, and dark palm foliage fills the background.2010-11-12