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A photograph of a temple ritual at an outdoor shrine with a stone pillar and banana leaves behind. A man with a tall black turban-style hairstyle, white forehead marking, and red-and-orange cloth sits cross-legged wearing a long garland of yellow and red flowers and a gold necklace; he has white ash smeared on his arms and chest. Beside him, a man in red-orange cloth with a white headband and rudraksha mala performs an offering with his hands over a metal plate. Two people in the foreground, one with hair in a bun, sit on the ground. Behind them a large decorated deity murti in a red dress and gold ornaments, draped in yellow and orange marigold garlands, stands on a blue-draped platform, with a small white figure and a small temple model on the right. Flower petals scatter the floor.

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Outdoor temple-style pavilion with stone pillars and a tiled roof during a puja. A central figure with long swept-back dark hair, a crown-like hair arrangement, gold necklaces, rudraksha mala and a long multicoloured garland of yellow and red flowers sits at a stone platform, smiling and handling white offerings in a bowl held by a devotee in a red robe seen from behind. Behind him a second man in an orange-red dhoti and a rudraksha mala stands with white forehead markings. On the right, a decorated deity murti in a red-orange cloth is garlanded with yellow and orange flowers, and white figurines and a small white shrine stand on the platform. Pratyakshya Pada Puja, padapuja, abhishekam ritual setting.2016-03-07Outdoor temple-courtyard scene at a shrine with a large white Shiva linga on a stone base, decorated with yellow and red flower garlands and a garland-draped deity figure behind. A seated man in a red-orange dhoti and shawl, wearing layered garlands of yellow and red flowers and a tall black hair bun, sits in front of the linga with bare hands extended, while a priest in orange and a white-clad attendant with tilak markings tend offerings. Several people in white dhotis with rudraksha malas and smeared white ash stand and sit around the shrine, and a woman in red sari sits nearby. Ritual items include a silver tray, a bowl of white sugar or ash, and scattered marigold petals.2016-03-07March 07 20162016-03-07A photograph of a seated man at the centre of a temple shrine, bare-chested with white ash smeared on his shoulders and arms, wearing a red-orange dhoti and shawl. He has a large black swept-up hair knot, a white forehead marking, a gold ceremonial necklace and a long rudraksha mala. Behind him are life-size painted figures wearing red and orange robes, one holding a tray, and a golden deity murti with a crown surrounded by garlands of yellow, orange, purple and white flowers. A golden kalasha-style canopy sits above. The man has a distinctive hairstyle and ceremonial gold adornments, so he is a person candidate, but the appearance is not conclusive. Several figures are statues or painted figures, not physical people.2016-03-07March 07 20162016-03-07Photo of a padapuja ritual at an outdoor shrine. A person seated at centre wears a tall black turban-like headpiece with pink flowers, a red-and-brown garment, a gold necklace and a long multicoloured garland of yellow, orange and red flowers, with white powder on the arms; a person candidate with long swept-back hair and ornate dress, though appearance is uncertain. Attendants with white-striped foreheads and red beads surround them; one in white clothing pours or applies material, and another on the left touches the ground. Behind is a deity murti with a white stone linga-like pedestal and garlanded figures; a small standing metal murti sits on a plate of flowers and white powder. The setting is an open-sided stone pavilion with a carved pillar.2016-03-07A photograph of a Shiva shrine-side puja inside a small open pavilion with stone carved pillars and green trees beyond the glass. A seated man with a tall, thick dreadlocked hairstyle, an orange-brown robe, a gold pendant, and a long garland of yellow, white and red flowers smiles while receiving flowers. a person by his dreadlocked hair, orange-brown robe and ceremonial gold necklace; the person is a probable depiction-free in-person candidate. Beside him a man with white vibhuti striped forehead and rudraksha beads sits with ash-smeared arms, and a woman in white at right offers flowers. Behind them stands a colourful deity murti in red and green cloth with garlands and a silver Shiva linga and lamp.2016-03-07A photograph of a temple shrine interior during a Shiva Linga ritual. In the centre, a man with a tall black-haired head covering and long hair, wearing a red-orange cloth and a thick multi-coloured flower garland with red and yellow blooms, kneels beside a large white-powdered Linga on a black pedestal, with white ash on his arms and forehead. Behind him stands a colourful deity murti with a red and gold garment, flower garlands and a golden crown. Several white-clad men with white forehead markings and garlands stand and sit around the shrine, and a few devotees are at the front. Offerings and a plate of white powder sit nearby. The scene suggests a Shiva Linga abhishekam or puja. Green banana leaves and a pillared stone portico frame the open-air setting.2016-03-07March 07 20162016-03-07March 07 20162016-03-07March 07 20162016-03-07Photograph of a seated man at a temple shrine receiving a ritual, possibly pratyaksha padapuja. He wears a tall, swept-back dark hairstyle with a red flower, a long multicolour garland of yellow and red flowers, a gold necklace, rudraksha beads and a red-brown cloth, and he smiles while his hands, dusted with white powder, rest near an offering plate of red petals. A white-bodied attendant with ash-marked forehead and rudraksha mala sits to the left, a partly visible person in white clothes is at the lower right, and a shrine of deity murti stands behind with a white ritual sculpture and marigold garlands. Stone pillars frame the open side of the shrine.2016-03-07