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Night ritual photograph: a row of young women in colourful silk saris with flower garlands and jewellery sit on a raised stone platform, holding flowers and offerings. In the foreground a man with bare upper body and a saffron-orange turban and dhoti, carrying a tray or plate, stands facing them. Behind them are painted deity figures and a decorated backdrop with garlands, and the floor is strewn with yellow marigold petals and kolam designs.

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October 10 20162016-10-10Photograph of a night ritual at a pandal decorated with flower garlands and marigold petals on the ground. A bare-chested priest in an orange-red dhoti and orange-red turban, with a sash over one shoulder and a beaded necklace, stands with his back to the camera facing a row of young women seated on a raised stone platform. The women wear saris in red, green, blue and purple with gold jewellery and long marigold garlands; some hold pink lotus flowers. Behind them stand painted clay deity murti of Ganesha, with a crowned figure at the right, and small offering plates. The priest appears to be performing a puja before the seated women; no a person candidate is clearly identifiable from appearance.2016-10-10Night-time photo of a young priest seen from behind, wearing an orange-red turban, bare upper body with a saffron-orange dhoti and orange sash, carrying a tray of offerings toward a row of young women seated on a raised stone platform. The women wear colourful silk saris in red, green, purple and blue, with white jasmine and marigold garlands, and hold pink lotus flowers. Yellow marigold petals are scattered on the floor. Behind them stand large painted clay deity murtis, including a Ganesha figure and a goddess figure with a crown. This appears to be a puja scene during a festival, with the priest offering prasad. Several other people are partly visible in the background.2016-10-10October 10 20162016-10-10Night outdoor ritual at a temple-like space lit by oil lamps. In the foreground, a bare-chested man in an orange-red turban and red-orange dhoti holds out offerings toward a row of young women seated on a stone ledge. The women wear white and gold-garlanded jasmine necklaces, purple and orange silk saris, and forehead markings, and hold yellow-green bundles or leaves with offerings; flower petals are scattered on the ledge. Other figures in orange-red clothes stand in the background. Lamps and brass vessels sit along the edge.2016-10-29Night-time outdoor ritual at a temple-like courtyard with a row of young women seated on a stone ledge, each wearing white and purple or orange saris with jasmine and flower garlands and vibhuti on the forehead. A man in an orange-red turban and bare upper body with a red-orange dhoti and gold border stands at left, extending his hands to offer something to the women, who hold leaf plates and offerings. Oil lamps and brass vessels sit along the ledge, with yellow and pink flower petals scattered on the stone. Other men in orange and saffron dhotis stand in the background, and a dark palm-fringed setting surrounds the scene.2016-10-29October 29 20162016-10-29October 10 20162016-10-10A night-time ritual photograph on an open stone-floored pavilion. In the centre, a shirtless man in an orange-red turban and orange-red dhoti stands with his back partly toward the camera, extending his hands toward a row of young women seated along a low stone ledge. The women wear saris in blue, pink, purple and multicoloured patterns, with gold jewellery, flower garlands and fresh flowers held in their hands and in their hair. Seated on the floor at left, a group of boys and men in orange and white clothes, some wearing marigold garlands, hold open books. Yellow marigold petals are scattered on the ground. A camera is visible at the top left corner.2016-10-10A night ritual scene in an open-air pavilion lit by flame. A young man in an orange-red turban and orange-red dhoti with a gold-bordered shawl stands at left, bare-chested with a rudraksha mala, holding a flaming lamp and a small brass vessel toward a row of young women seated on a stone ledge. The women wear colourful silk saris and lehengas in red, pink, green, blue and purple, with jasmine and marigold garlands, lotus flowers held in their hands, and gold jhumka earrings. Marigold petals are scattered on the ground. Other men in white dhotis and bare-chested devotees stand in the background, and a photographer is visible. The setting appears to be a festive puja or aarti.2016-10-10Night-time ritual outdoors at a temple-style setting. In the foreground a bare-chested priest in an orange-red turban and orange-red dhoti with yellow borders holds a brass tray of white jasmine garlands. Seated women in orange, red and gold saris wear white and red flower garlands and gold jewellery; one in red and gold lifts a garland from the tray. Behind them a garlanded figure in a red shawl, and a decorated deity murti on the right beside a lit oil lamp and flower offerings on the ground.2016-10-29Night-time photo of a ritual at an outdoor pavilion. A bare-chested priest in an orange-red turban and saffron-orange dhoti with gold borders stands at left, holding a brass tray of flower garlands toward a row of girls and young women seated on a stone ledge. Two girls in orange and blue-purple dress wear white jasmine garlands, one with a forehead mark. Two women in purple and blue saris wear gold necklaces and earrings, with braided hair and flowers. Brass oil lamps glow on the floor, and drummers in white dhotis stand in the background. Petals are scattered on the ground.2016-10-29