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Large group of devotees seated on tiered red-brown steps during a ritual session, each sitting before a black stone shivalinga with a brass bowl and brass vessels beside them. Many participants sit with hands folded or palms together in prayer, eyes closed or lowered. In the foreground a bare-chested man with rudraksha mala and sacred thread sits at left, a woman in a grey top and floral pants sits with hands clasped, and a woman in a white top and grey trousers with a beaded necklace sits nearby. Behind them a woman in a red sari and a woman in a yellow-orange sari join in. Warm lamp-lit background with rows of small lights on the wall.

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December 11 20162016-12-11Night ritual on tiered stone steps lined with black stone shivalingas and small brass pots. Many seated participants, mostly women in white and pastel kurtas or salwar, sit with hands folded in anjali mudra or pouring liquid from brass vessels over the lingas. A central woman with curly hair, white kurta, and a red tika and rudraksha mala sits with a small flame in front of her. Strings of warm fairy lights hang on the background wall. Other devotees in saffron, purple and yellow outfits sit in rows behind them, some with eyes closed in meditation. Visible lamps and offerings indicate an abhishekam-style puja. No robed figure is clearly identifiable among the participants.2016-12-11 +1 copiesDecember 11 20162016-12-11 +1 copiesOutdoor photo of a ritual on red-brick steps lined with black stone shivalingams and small brass vessels with lamps. Many seated devotees perform a puja. Some men are bare-chested with rudraksha malas and white dhotis, one wears an orange cloth, and women wear saris, salwar and western clothes. A woman in white trousers and a black top holds her hands together in prayer, while a woman in black holds a brass lamp. A chain-link fence with red cloth and flags stands behind. No individual is confidently identified as a person.2016-12-18Outdoor photograph of a tiered red-stepped platform lined with many black stone Shivalinga-shaped forms and small brass bowls. Around twenty seated devotees in rows on the steps, most wearing white or pastel clothing and rudraksha malas, eyes closed or gazing downward in meditation. A woman in a blue top and a man in a white shawl sit near the front; a bare-chested man in white dhoti sits at right; a woman in a white hijab-style head covering sits at top. Trees and a metal railing behind.2016-12-09December 12 20162016-12-12A photograph of many devotees seated on red-painted tiered steps at night, each holding a small lit oil lamp in both hands during a deepam lamp ceremony. Dark black stone shivalingam-style bases with brass pots and vessels sit on each step. Several women wear saris, kurtas and salwar in blues, greens, purple and orange, while others wear white ritual clothes with red-and-white mala beads. A man in the foreground wears a red shawl over white clothes, and a shaved-headed man in orange-red wraps sits at lower right. No figure is clearly identifiable as a person in this crowd, so no candidate is marked in the appearance field.2016-12-12A photo of a seated devotional gathering at a Karthigai Deepam celebration, with rows of people sitting on terraced steps lined with black Shivalingams and brass lamps. In the foreground, a bare-chested man in red trousers sits with eyes closed and hands in a mudra, beside a woman in a white dress holding her palms together. At right, a woman in a magenta sari with gold border and rudraksha malas sits with eyes closed and hands folded. A man in glasses with a rudraksha mala sits at lower left. Strings of small lamps glow along the background pillars, and behind them more people sit in white, saffron and bright clothes, some meditating or chanting.2016-12-12Night ritual scene with many devotees seated in rows on stepped platforms, each holding small oil lamps or lit wicks in front of black stone lingams on pedestals. Foreground: a bare-chested man in white dhoti and a woman in orange-and-black patterned dress lighting lamps. Behind them, a woman in white top and pink trousers with a beaded necklace, a woman in green skirt with a long-sleeved blue blouse, and others in white and saffron clothing. Strings of coloured lights and brass vessels are visible, with a temple-like canopy at upper right. The setting suggests a lamp-lit puja or Rudra Abhishekam gathering.2016-12-09Devotees sit on red stone steps beside rows of black stone Shivalingams with brass tops, performing a Rudra Abhishekam-style ritual with small brass pouring vessels. In the foreground a woman in a white and gold sari and a dark rudraksha mala holds a brass vessel; beside her a fair-haired woman in a purple sari with a red rudraksha mala pours from a brass cup. Next to them a woman in a grey shawl and a shirtless man with a mala also hold brass vessels, and a bald man in a white shirt with a rudraksha mala and a woman in a yellow and green sari sit further back. Brass lamps and vessels stand on the steps behind them.2016-12-16Devotees sit on tiered red steps at night, each with brass pots and oil lamps arranged on black stone shivalinga-style pedestals. A bearded man with long hair and bare torso sits at left, lighting a wick. A young man in white dhoti with rudraksha mala and folded hands sits centre, and a woman in red skirt and yellow blouse with a mala sits at right with palms pressed together. A man in white dhoti and rudraksha mala at right folds his hands, and a woman in a green saree sits at far left. A red flag stands at the left edge.2016-12-12December 11 20162016-12-11 +1 copies