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Photograph of a ritual scene during a sacred ceremony. In the foreground a shaved-headed man in an orange saffron shawl with maroon border and a heavy gold bead necklace holds a lit oil lamp flame in his right hand, with smoke rising from it. A forehead of white and red tilak marks and white sacred ash streaks on his arm. Behind him another man in white dhoti and shawl with red border holds a lit lamp and a small bell or implement, and other seated participants in white are visible in the background. A white pillar stands at left, with a red box and brass items on the floor.

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November 23 20102010-11-23A photograph of a Hindu ritual at night in a plain hall. In the foreground a shaven-headed man in orange robes with a rudraksha mala and white tilak marks on his forehead and arms holds a lit taper toward an unseen flame, his other arm extended. Behind him an older man in white dhoti with a red-bordered cloth and a beaded mala sits and lights a small lamp. A brass plate with flowers and small oil lamps sits on a red cloth in front. Two people are visible, with a partially visible third at the bottom edge. The setting suggests a pada puja ritual.2010-11-18 +1 copiesA photograph of a ritual gathering at night. In the centre, a man with short hair and a red tilak on his forehead wears saffron-orange robes and a rudraksha mala with a pendant. He holds a small oil lamp with a lit flame in one hand and a brass implement in the other. Behind him, several men in white dhotis and white shawls sit on the floor, some holding brass lamps and bowls; pink and blue plates with yellow petals are in the foreground.2010-10-16Photograph of a ritual scene with a central shaved-headed man in saffron-orange robes with a maroon border, wearing a long gold bead necklace with a pendant, and white tripundra marks on his forehead. He sits cross-legged holding a small flame or lamp in his right hand while looking down. Men in white dhotis and shawls around him hold bells and a lamp, with brass plates of offerings in front. Several people in white and orange surround the seated figure in a ceremonial gathering.2010-10-16A seated group ritual in an ashram hall. Two monks in saffron-orange robes with red borders and rudraksha malas sit cross-legged on a mat in the foreground. The man on the left, with a grey beard and glasses, holds a small brass lamp with a lit flame; the younger monk on the right, with a shaved head and white tilak marks, holds a lit oil lamp and a brass vessel. Behind them, men in white dhotis and shawls with red borders hold lit lamps. Brass plates with flowers, fruit, rice and kumkum sit on the mat in front, along with a open book. Tripods and equipment are visible at the top left. This is a puja with oil lamps, and the presence of the lamps and offerings suggests an arati or padapuja-style rite.2010-10-16January 28 20132013-01-28Photograph of a shaved-headed priest in white dhoti and white shawl with gold border, wearing a long beaded necklace of gold-toned beads, holding a silver tray with a multi-flame silver aarti lamp, the flames rising and smoke drifting. Behind him another priest in white and a younger man in saffron-orange robes with a beaded necklace stand in an orange-walled courtyard. A hand at the left edge holds a bell-like object. The priest with the aarti lamp is not an identifiable a person candidate by the given cues, so this is an aarti ritual by priests and devotees.2011-12-01January 05 20132013-01-05A shaved-headed man in saffron-orange robes sits cross-legged, holding a brass oil lamp in one hand and a small brass bell in the other. He wears a dark rudraksha mala with a small framed pendant, white horizontal tilak stripes on his forehead and arms, and a red dot on his brow. Behind him, a man in white clothes holds a lit lamp, and other devotees sit with hands folded in namaskar on red mats.2013-10-15Photograph of a seated puja in an orange-walled hall. Several men wear saffron-orange robes with red borders and rudraksha malas. Two men in the foreground hold lit oil lamps in their right hands, and a bell appears near the lower right; a man at the far left holds a lamp as well. Light-coloured mats and a golden deity murti or ornament stand at the right edge.2010-11-02November 05 20102010-11-05Indoor group ritual on white floor mats with orange cloth. A central man in orange robes and a rudraksha mala sits cross-legged, holding a lit oil lamp aloft in his right hand and a small brass bell in his left, with a white forehead marking. Around him several men in white dhotis with maroon borders sit and hold lit lamps, one ringing a bell, with brass plates of yellow grains, brass kalasha-style vessels, a small brass lamp and an open book nearby. Several people in the group wear white ritual dress; one wears a white shawl. The scene reads as a puja or aarti in progress.2010-11-23