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Close view of a seated ritual in progress. A man in orange clothing with a rudraksha mala and a pendant wears red-and-gold bangles and holds the hands of a young person in red bangles over a grey granite surface. Dark-haired people in the foreground, including a girl in an orange top, are seen from behind. Ceremonial red and gold fabric appears at the right edge. The figure's face is not visible, so the identity cannot be confirmed from appearance.

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A young man with a white tripundra on his forehead and white markings on his bare chest and arms sits holding a small blue bowl in both hands, looking down at it. He wears a rudraksha mala, a beaded chain and a thin necklace, with brown armbands and a wristwatch, and a saffron-orange dhoti. Facing him at left, a child in an orange top leans in, while other young people in orange and yellow sit behind. At right, a golden deity murti and a red curtain frame the scene.2016-10-08Photograph of a ceremonial gathering in a temple-style room with golden decorations, a garlanded yellow and red floral backdrop and a brass lamp at left. A bare-chested man with long dark hair, a gold earring and a beaded necklace, wearing an orange cloth, leans forward holding a small blue cup and a red offering. Several seated people in orange clothing, including a young person in an orange top and a child with a white forehead mark at left, look toward him. The scene suggests a devotional or initiation setting.2016-10-08A seated man in a rust-red dhoti-style wrap with a leopard-print lower cloth and a long white-and-blue-and-yellow flower garland wearing rudraksha bead arm bands and a rudraksha mala, with white vertical forehead marks, offers a small brass bowl of items to a shaved-headed young person in orange robes and a rudraksha necklace who sits and smiles with bowed head. Behind them a woman in orange with a long rudraksha mala stands watching, and to the right a woman in a yellow sari with bangles stands among other onlookers in a room with red curtains. The central figure's cues are a rudraksha mala and a ceremonial garland, but the appearance is not distinctive enough to confirm identity, so the figure is described by role as the officiant giving the blessing.2014-04-27A photograph of a ritual exchange indoors. In the left foreground a man in an orange sleeveless garment with an orange shawl and a dark rudraksha mala stands with his hair tied in a bun, reaching toward a silver tray. A woman in a maroon sari with a red bindi and long hair holds the tray, which carries a small gold object and offerings. Behind them, two women in green and maroon saris stand near a white cylindrical air cooler, and a seated person's head is visible at the lower right. The man's identity is not established by visible cues beyond clothing, so no name is given.2011-12-31May 12 20132013-05-12A seated man in an orange saffron garment with a rudraksha mala headband and rudraksha bands on his upper arms sits with eyes lowered and hands clasped, wearing a heavy gold bead necklace. Ash marks show on his forehead and arms. Behind him, a smiling man in white dhoti and sunglasses and a woman in white with gold border and bindi look on, and a bare-chested attendant in orange reaches toward him. The setting appears to be a ceremonial outdoor gathering with several devotees in white.2012-06-05A photograph of a seated initiation or blessing ritual on a stage. A man with a shaved, bare-chested back kneels with a white thread draped over his shoulders while a bearded man in a rust-red dhoti and wrap, wearing many rudraksha malas and a gold ornamental pendant with an om symbol, marks his forehead with a white paste from a stick. Two attendants in saffron-orange robes stand behind, one holding the thread and another with a bracelet of wooden beads. The bearded man has white tilak on his forehead and a gold earring, and the setting features gold and red decorative drapery. a person presence is uncertain from appearance alone; the figure is shown in ritual role.2017-12-17 +1 copiesOctober 08 20162016-10-08A photograph of a sacred initiation scene. In the left foreground, a bearded man with long dreadlocked hair wrapped in a turban, wearing a rust-brown silk garment and a rudraksha mala on his arm, reaches out to place his hand on the head of a kneeling devotee. The devotee wears a white and yellow-bordered garment and a white headband, head bowed. Behind them, several women in orange and cream saris and ceremonial gold necklaces stand in a row, and a silver ceremonial staff with ornate finials is visible on the right beside an orange-robed attendant. Stacked dark wooden and silver ritual objects sit at lower left. The bearded man is an appearance-based a person candidate in an initiating role, shown with dreadlocks, a turban, rudraksha malas and rust-brown robes, while the surrounding figures are devotees and attendants.2018-03-25April 14 20182018-04-14A young boy in orange sannyasi-style cloth with a rudraksha mala and a gold pendant kneels with eyes closed and palms joined, a red tilak on his forehead, while a bare-chested adult with long matted hair and a pink-and-white flower garland with blue beads places his hand on the boy's head in blessing. Behind them stands another child in orange with a gold chain and rudraksha, and several orange-robed devotees, with a gold brass animal-head ornament and a gold ritual object in the foreground. The scene suggests a blessing or initiation moment in an ashram setting.2017-05-30A seated teacher in a red-brown and gold robe, with his hair in a bun and a small white device at his ear, pours water from a small vessel onto the head of a young man with short hair, wearing glasses, an orange-and-gold robe and a rudraksha mala. The teacher sits on an ornate wooden chair in a bright hall while a seated audience of devotees in orange, yellow and pink clothing watches; some hold rudraksha malas. Partially visible people in the foreground and a framed poster on the back wall complete the scene.2015-08-28