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Several shaved-headed men sit cross-legged on a white marble floor during a puja. Front row, left to right: a man in orange-red dhoti with a white forehead band holds a lamp; a man in rust-red cloth with rudraksha mala raises a lit oil lamp; a man in white dhoti and white shawl with a tilak and rudraksha beads holds a lamp; a man in red cloth with rudraksha mala holds a lamp aloft. Brass lamps, kumkum and flower-filled plates, and small steel cups sit on orange and red mats in front of them. Behind them, more men in white dhotis are seated with lamps. Ritual aarti is being performed.

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January 29 20132013-01-29February 02 20132013-02-02January 11 20172017-01-11Indoor group ritual in a large hall with cream walls and a polished pale floor. Many seated participants, mostly bare-chested, wear saffron-orange cloth and rudraksha malas, with white ash markings on their foreheads and arms. In the foreground, a bald man in orange cloth holds a small oil lamp, and a seated man in rust-brown cloth tends incense sticks over a brass tray of offerings. At right, a bald man in rust-brown cloth raises a small brass lamp. Brass bowls, lamps, flowers and incense smoke sit on red cloths on the floor. A child is visible at the left edge. Lamps and offerings suggest a puja or homa-style gathering.2017-01-11February 27 20132013-02-27A row of shaved-headed men in saffron-orange robes sits cross-legged on a polished white floor during a puja. Several wear rudraksha malas, white horizontal tilak marks on their foreheads and brass bangles, and hold open white paper sheets. Before them are brass plates with oil lamps, incense sticks, small brass cups, flower offerings and white cloths on orange and red mats. Red curtains and a white wall form the background. A few other people in plain clothes sit behind them.2013-02-22 +1 copiesA seated group of men performs a ritual with lit oil lamps in a hall. In the foreground, a bald man in saffron/orange robes with a rudraksha mala sits on an orange mat, holding a small lamp and an open book, with brass vessels and a brass lamp on the floor before him. Beside him, a younger man in orange with a mala holds a lamp. Behind them, rows of men in white dhotis and shawls hold lit lamps, some wearing rudraksha malas and sacred thread. A table with a striped cloth and a metal pot stands at the back. No single figure is clearly identifiable as a person, and the scene shows only ritual participants.2010-10-22 +2 copiesA row of men in saffron-orange dhotis and shawls sit cross-legged on a white floor during a ritual, holding green leaves and small offerings in their hands. Several have white ash markings on their foreheads and arms, and some wear rudraksha malas. Brass oil lamps, small brass bowls and plates with flowers and offerings sit on red and orange cloths in front of them. A few men in white dhotis sit among them. The setting is a plain hall with pale walls and a maroon curtain. This appears to be a puja or homa-style ceremony with oil lamps and leaf offerings.2013-01-13March 10 20132013-03-10A row of saffron-robed sannyasis sits cross-legged on a polished white floor during a ritual, many with shaved heads, white forehead markings and rudraksha malas. Several hold open papers and read or chant, while brass lamps, bowls and small offering vessels sit on orange mats in front of them. Figures in white dhotis and shawls sit at the right, and a few children and other devotees are visible in the background behind a metal railing. The scene reads as a formal group puja or chanting session in an ashram hall.2013-01-29Seated devotees in white dhotis and white shirts with maroon-striped shawls perform an aarti-like ritual, holding small oil lamps aloft and bells in their hands. A kalasha-style brass vessel and metal plates with offerings sit on the floor before them, on orange cloth. On the far left, a man in orange robes with rudraksha mala beads also raises a lamp. The room has red curtains, a ceiling fan, and red chairs behind the group. Several people in the background watch the ritual.2011-08-02A seated group of men in white dhotis and shawls perform an oil lamp ritual indoors. Many hold small brass lamps with lit flames, and brass plates, bowls and small copper vessels sit on orange mats before them. Most wear rudraksha malas and some have white sacred ash marks on their foreheads and arms. At lower right, a shaven-headed man in saffron-orange robes holds a lit lamp in his cupped hands. Blue plates with flowers and fruit and a folder rest on the floor, and a striped cloth hangs at upper right. Several men at the back raise lamps overhead.2010-10-22 +1 copies