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A photograph taken from above of an outdoor ritual at a temple complex with stone steps and shrines. A shaved-headed man in orange-saffron robes and a gold-toned rudraksha-style necklace bends over a red-carpeted platform, arranging items. Around him are silver trays and bowls with food offerings, foil-wrapped packets, brass oil lamps, a silver kalasha-style vessel and a small orange cloth. Nearby stands a deity murti decorated with orange and marigold garlands and a green cloth. Crowds of onlookers stand on the stone steps, and a woman seated on a patterned rug in the foreground faces the scene. Chalk-like white floral kolam designs decorate the stone ground beside the offerings.

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Outdoor temple ritual at a riverside ghat beside a stone-stepped temple complex. In the foreground, a shaved-headed priest in saffron-orange robes kneels on a red cloth, arranging brass plates, bowls, a conch-shaped vessel and offerings, including fruit, sweets and marigold garlands. Behind him stands a decorated shrine with a deity murti adorned with marigold garlands and orange flowers. A seated figure with long dark hair, wearing a leopard-print garment and marigold garland, watches from the lower right on a patterned carpet. Behind the shrine, a crowd of devotees climbs and descends the wide stone steps, and flower garlands hang along the railings. Pagoda-style shrines and roofs frame the scene.2012-08-01August 01 20122012-08-01Outdoor ritual at a riverside ghat with temple shrines and stone steps. A bald man in orange robes and a beaded necklace stands at left beside a spread of plates, bowls and offerings on a red cloth. In the foreground a figure in orange robes bends forward over a shrine decorated with marigold garlands and small oil lamps, while a woman with dark hair in a leopard-print top kneels on a patterned rug beside him. Behind them a large crowd of devotees climbs and gathers on the stone steps by the water, and the temple roof above is lined with people.2012-08-01Outdoor temple ritual at a stone-stepped ghat with carved stone shrines behind. A bald man in saffron-orange robes sits cross-legged on a red mat, pouring from a small vessel over a marigold-garlanded deity murti on a green cloth before him. Silver plates, bowls, a silver kalasha-style pot, conch-shaped silver vessels, foil-covered offerings, fruit and sweets surround the ritual area. Two women in salwar and sari sit at right with hands folded in prayer, and a videographer in orange robes films at left. Behind, a crowd of onlookers stands on the steps, and a marigold-wrapped pillar rises at right. Kolam-style white patterns decorate the stone floor.2012-08-01A ritual puja at a riverside ghat steps in a Hindu temple complex. A shaved-headed priest in saffron-orange robes and a gold bead necklace sits cross-legged on a red mat, arranging ritual items on a silver tray. Silver vessels, a silver kalasha-style pot, fruit, incense sticks, marigold garlands, vermilion bowls and a bowl of yellow paste are spread before a small deity murti decorated with orange marigold garlands and a green cloth. Several seated women in mixed dress sit on red mats at right, while a crowd of standing men watches from the stone steps behind. Chalk kolam designs decorate the stone floor.2012-08-01August 01 20122012-08-01Outdoor ritual at a riverside temple ghat with stone steps crowded by onlookers in the background. In the foreground, a shaven-headed priest in orange robes and a rudraksha mala sits cross-legged on a red cloth, writing on a sheet of paper beside brass and silver puja plates, flowers, wood sticks, a kalasha and a silver container. Nearby, a woman with long dark hair and a marigold garland, in a leopard-print top, raises a silver trident aloft while a laptop sits open on a rug. Behind the ritual area, a deity murti decorated with marigold garlands sits on a green cloth beneath an umbrella, with lamps lit before it. Pagoda-style shrines stand in the background. Eight to ten visible people in the scene, seated and standing.2012-08-01August 01 20122012-08-01August 01 20122012-08-01Outdoor puja at a temple complex with stone steps and white and grey shrine structures behind. A shaven-headed priest in orange robes sits cross-legged on a red cloth, surrounded by silver plates, bowls of flowers, spices, incense sticks, and silver vessels. Behind him a deity murti is decorated with marigold garlands and stands on a green cloth. In the foreground a woman with long dark hair, wearing a leopard-print top and marigold garland, raises a silver trident. Crowds of devotees stand and sit on the steps in the background.2012-08-01August 01 20122012-08-01Outdoor temple ceremony at a riverside ghat before a multi-tiered golden-roofed temple with a crowd on steps and a yellow flag. On a red carpet, a shaved-headed man in orange robes and a long orange-ochre shawl stands with a garland of orange beads, while a man in a white shirt beside him holds a cloth. In front, a person in orange robes bends over a patterned rug, and a woman in a leopard-print top and orange shawl with a flower garland sits beside them. Brass plates of fruit, sweets, flowers and oil lamps are arranged before a small decorated altar with orange marigold garlands, and a trident leans at the right edge. Visible people are several dozen, mostly in the background crowd.2012-08-01