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Outdoor ritual scene in bright sunlight at the first Kumbha Mela in USA. A man in a plain white shirt and white dhoti holds a microphone in one hand and a coconut in the other, while a blue smoke or flame rises from the coconut held by a man in a blue t-shirt at left. A man in glasses and a yellow-and-white shawl stands at right. Behind them a crowd of onlookers in white, yellow and pink clothing watches, with red flags and greenery in the background. Gold-coloured ritual objects are visible at the lower left edge.

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Outdoor photograph at a festival. In the right foreground a man in a white t-shirt holds a microphone in one hand and a coconut burning with an orange flame in the other, smoke rising from it. Beside him a man in a blue top looks on, and behind them a woman in dark-rimmed glasses and an orange top watches, with other spectators in white and red clothing blurred in the background. A gold-coloured ornamental object is visible at the lower left. The scene suggests a coconut-burning ritual at an open-air gathering.2006-09-10September 10 20062006-09-10Outdoor ritual photo at a Kumbha Mela-style gathering under a red, white and yellow striped canopy. A man in a plain white shirt and white dhoti holds a coconut in both hands over brass and gold-toned deity murti figures arranged on a green-edged cloth table. Smoke rises from an incense or offering stick nearby. Behind him, a man in white with a yellow-bordered shawl stands alongside devotees in white and saffron clothes, and a woman in glasses and dark clothing watches. A man in a blue t-shirt stands at the left edge. The scene reads as a puja with coconut offering.2006-09-10Outdoor photo at the first USA Kumbha Mela, with a shaved-headed priest in a bare-chested state speaking into a microphone while holding a small object above a green-covered table with a coconut and smoke rising from it. He wears a multicoloured beaded mala, a white dhoti and a green-and-gold patterned waist sash, and a tilak marks his forehead. Behind him a man in a white dhoti and white shirt stands beside a rolled white cloth, and spectators in casual clothes, sunglasses and caps watch nearby. White and blue flags and orange poles appear in the background under a sunny sky.2006-09-10Outdoor ritual scene at a festival stall. A bare-chested priest in a white dhoti with a multicoloured beaded necklace speaks into a microphone on a stand, holding a coconut or offering. Beside him a man in a white shirt holds an incense or offering vessel with smoke rising. Behind a green-draped table stand brass deity murtis and bronze figures. Devotees surround the stall: a woman in a teal sari, a man in a grey patterned kurta, and people in white caps. Orange and red flags and bunting decorate the background.2006-09-10Outdoor photo at a festival procession. A man in a white dhoti and shirt stands at a table draped in green cloth, holding a small object above a white bag of offerings while figures in golden dress and small gold deity statues sit on the table. To the right, a bare-chested priest with a multicolored beaded mala and white sacred-thread markings speaks into a microphone. Behind them, a man in an orange-saffron garment with a yellow-and-red turban stands among devotees in white clothes, a woman in white with sunglasses, and a man in a blue shirt on the left. Tall decorated canopy poles with red and multicolored tassels and a white canopy rise in the background, along with a white flag bearing a blue emblem. A white sign with orange-red lettering is visible, and a banner reads Chinmaya Mission.2006-09-10October 28 20062006-10-28September 10 20062006-09-10Outdoor crowd scene in warm morning light with trees behind. A shaved-headed priest in white dhoti and shawl with gold border, wearing glasses and a rudraksha mala, holds a brass lamp with a flame. Nearby a man in a white shirt and white trousers raises his hands toward the flame in blessing, while devotees stand with hands folded, including women in white and orange saris and a woman with a yellow bag. Some people have vibhuti or tilak marks. The ritual appears to be an aarti with a lamp.2011-11-10A photograph of a street-side ritual with a bright open flame in a metal vessel held by a man in white clothes with a rudraksha mala and a vibhuti mark on his forehead, his hands held together before the fire. Beside him a young man in white with an orange shawl stands at right, and a woman in a green sari with bangles holds a small offering. Several women and a child in a light dress with a hair clip watch from behind, and a large portrait banner is on the wall above. The scene suggests a homa or puja style offering with a fire and kalasha-like pots.2006-10-10A photograph of a ritual at an outdoor ashram setting with bright sunlight. In the foreground, a young man bare-chested with a long rudraksha mala holds his hands together in a mudra near a fire. Beside him, a shaved-headed man in an orange-red cloth wears a yellow-and-orange flower garland and a rudraksha mala. An older man with a white moustache, wearing a white shirt and gold bangle, leans over a fire with coconut halves and flower garlands in front of him, with smoke rising. Another man in white stands behind, and several people are visible in the background. The rudraksha mala, coconuts, garlands and fire suggest a homa-style offering with coconuts, though this is not a named ritual.2011-11-29A photograph of a fire ritual with devotees seated on the ground in white clothing. In the foreground, a man in a white shirt and white dhoti with a yellow rosette badge sits at a low brick fire pit where flames are burning, hands joined in prayer. Beside him, a younger boy with glasses and a garland presses his palms together, and a brass vessel with a ladle rests on the ground. Behind them, many men and women in white and pale clothing sit in rows under a white canopy, several with hands folded, amid smoke. Wooden poles wrapped with green leaves frame the scene.2006-07-17