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A young child with a bare upper body and white sacred ash markings on the arms and chest pours liquid from a brass vessel over bronze deity murtis in a temple setting. Beaded ornaments adorn the child's arm and a red cloth is tied at the waist. Before the child stands a bronze Ganesha murti with raised arms, and beside it a tall bronze deity murti wearing a crown. A small bronze figure in white cloth and a pink flower sit nearby, with a golden lattice-patterned wall behind. The liquid streams down over the murtis as an abhishekam offering.

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A photograph of a shatmurthy abhishekam at the Nithyanandeshwara Paramashiva Devalayam, Adi Kailasa. A human hand, with bangles and a tilak-marked wrist, pours liquid from a brass vessel over a row of brass deity murtis. Left is an elephant-headed Ganesha murti holding a modak and an axe. Two small standing figures in white cloth with red sashes flank the center, and in the middle stands a four-armed deity murti. Behind them is a larger four-armed murti with a crown and a red cloth draped over the altar. A red cloth and a gold-lined brass altar sit in the background, with dark carved wooden panels behind. Watermarked caption at bottom reads the temple name and the abhishekam event title.2021-11-12November 17 20212021-11-17Photograph of a shatmurthy abhishekam ritual at Nithyanandeshwara Paramashiva Devalayam, Adi Kailasa. A person's hand, marked with white ash lines, reaches in from the left to touch a gilded metal deity murti of Shiva with a crescent on the crown. Beside it stand smaller gilded murtis, including a child-form figure holding a staff, and a murti draped in a white and gold cloth. A green and gold silk backdrop hangs behind them, and red cloth draped over a murti sits in the foreground. A caption at the bottom reads 'Nithyanandeshwara Paramashiva Devalayam, Adi Kailasa' and 'Shatmurthy Abhishekam || Nithyanandeshwara Paramashiva Brahmotsavam - Day 1'.2021-11-12A photograph of a Shatmurthy Abhishekam in progress. A bare arm pours a golden liquid from a metal pot over a row of metal deity murtis on a glossy surface. Figures include a standing murti in an orange cloth, a small murti in green and pink dress, a central murti with a raised arm, a murti in pink cloth, a standing murti with folded hands, and a seated murti in green and gold cloth, with a bronze Shiva-like figure behind. Ornate gold carvings line the background. A caption reads Shatmurthy Abhishekam, Nithyanandeshwara Paramashiva Brahmotsavam - Day 9.2021-11-18A priest in an orange-saffron dhoti and a rudraksha mala pours liquid from a bowl over a golden murti during a Shatmurthy Abhishekam. The central silver-gold deity has four arms holding a trident-like staff, a snake and other ritual objects. Beside it stands a golden female murti in a green and yellow sari with red trim, surrounded by smaller golden and painted figures in orange, red and green garments. Golden temple carvings form the background. A caption at the bottom reads Shatmurthy Abhishekam, Nithyanandeshwara Paramashiva Brahmotsavam - Day 9. The priest's face is not visible, so no one is identified.2021-11-18A photograph of a temple abhishekam at a gilded shrine. In the foreground, a bare-backed priest in an orange cloth and a rudraksha mala pours liquid over a small bronze figure of a standing child deity on a pedestal. Behind it stand gold-toned metal statues of a multi-armed deity and a female deity draped in white with a red-striped cloth. Wet, polished surfaces reflect the light. One person is visible, shown from behind. Caption reads: Vinayar, Chandikeshwara & SPH Nithyananda Paramashivam, Nithyanandeshwara Paramashiva Brahmotsavam - Day 8.2021-11-17November 12 20212021-11-12November 17 20212021-11-17A photograph of a Shatmurthy Abhishekam ritual during the Nithyanandeshwara Paramashiva Brahmotsavam, Day 9. Hands in the foreground pour liquid over a row of gold-toned bronze deity murtis set on a wet, reflective surface with scattered pink flower petals. A deity murti with a green and red sari-style drape and crown stands at right, and a figure in orange robes stands near the centre-left among the murtis. The ornate gilded temple background and the bronze figures dominate the scene. A caption reads Shatmurthy Abhishekam and Nithyanandeshwara Paramashiva Brahmotsavam - Day 9.2021-11-18Photo of a ritual abhishekam in progress over brass deity murtis. A hand at the top edge pours water from a vessel onto a small standing brass figure at centre-right, water streaming down its body. Beside it stands a brass Ganesha murti with elephant head, raised arms holding a modak and an axe-like implement, on a stepped base. Other brass and gilded murtis, some draped in red and orange cloth, crowd the frame. Caption at bottom reads Nithyanandeshwara Paramashiva Devalayam, Adi Kailasa and Shatmurthy Abhishekam, Nithyanandeshwara Paramashiva Brahmotsavam - Day 1.2021-11-12November 17 20212021-11-17A photograph of a Shatmurthy Abhishekam ritual at the Nithyanandeshwara Paramashiva Devalayam, Adi Kailasa. A hand pours white powder or milk-like substance over bronze and gilded metal murti statues. On the left a four-armed Ganesha figure with an elephant head is dusted white. At centre a small bronze deity figure in a white sari with a tall crown and a red cloth is being anointed. On the right a gilded standing deity wearing a jewelled crown and necklaces is also visible. The background is a warm golden blur. No living people other than the pouring hand are shown.2021-11-12