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Night photograph of a fire-walking ritual at an outdoor temple area. A long rectangular pit is filled with glowing embers and pale ash-covered stones, and men in white dhotis and white shirts stand around its edges. Devotees in white and in colourful saris sit packed on the ground in rows on both sides. Bamboo poles run along the perimeter, lit by a lamp near a decorated shrine in the background. The scene is a fire-walking ritual, with many white-clad participants and onlookers.

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December 30 20062006-12-30Night photograph of a fire-walking ritual on a temple grounds. A long rectangular pit of glowing dark embers runs down the centre, with a man in white shirt and grey trousers walking across it barefoot near the front, and another barefoot participant in white further back on the ember bed. Dense crowds in white ritual clothes and colourful saris stand behind wooden poles lining both sides of the pit. A golden kalasha-topped temple structure rises in the background.2006-12-30A night-time fire-walking ritual at a temple ground. A barefoot devotee in white clothing and folded hands walks down a rectangular pit of glowing embers and ash, flanked by people in white dhotis and shirts. Lines of wooden stakes and rope separate a large crowd of spectators, many dressed in white and colourful saris and salwar. A lit golden kalasha or shrine structure is visible at the top of the frame beside white tents and a string of decorative flags. A small blue bucket sits at the lower left. Several figures in white dhotis appear to be assisting along the pit edges.2006-12-30December 30 20062006-12-30Night photograph of a fire-walking ritual at a temple. A long pit of glowing embers and ash runs down the centre of the frame, and a man in a white shirt and white dhoti walks barefoot across it. Beside the pit, a man in white with folded hands stands praying, and another man in white kneels at the lower edge. Crowds of devotees dressed mostly in white stand behind wooden bamboo barriers on both sides. A golden deity murti or decorated kalasha stands on a white raised structure at the top of the frame, with festoon bunting strung overhead. No figure can be identified as the a person from appearance here, so the walker is described only by role.2006-12-30December 30 20062006-12-30Night photograph of a fire-walking ritual on dirt ground. A long trench of glowing white-grey embers runs down the centre, bordered by wooden rails. A man in white clothes and a white cap stands at the left edge of the trench, while another person in white walks or steps across the embers near the centre. Behind the rails, a large crowd of people in mostly white clothing, with some orange and saffron garments, watches closely. A lit illuminated palanquin or ratha with decorative lamps stands in the background, with a strung bunting line above and dark trees beyond.2006-12-30Night photograph of a fire-walking ritual in an outdoor temple grounds. A figure in white dhoti and shirt walks barefoot across a trench of glowing embers lined with earth banks. Crowds of devotees in white dhotis and saris stand on both sides behind bamboo poles, and a lit ratha-style structure or shrine with a lamp glows in the background under strung festoon bunting. A blue bucket sits at the left edge near the trench.2006-12-30December 30 20062006-12-30Night photograph of a fire-walking ritual at a temple procession. A woman in a white sari with gold border and an orange shawl walks barefoot through a long trench of glowing embers, arms slightly outstretched. Crowds in white dhotis and white shirts line both sides behind bamboo poles, and devotees in white and orange stand close. A bright floodlight and a decorated ratha/chariot with a red and gold canopy appear in the background under a row of pennant flags. A blue bucket sits at the trench edge.2006-12-30December 30 20062006-12-30December 30 20062006-12-30