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Night photograph of an outdoor ritual stage in front of a tiered stone wall lined with many small seated deity figures draped in flower garlands. A large garlanded canopy with marigold and colourful fabric decorations shelters a central deity murti, and a winged, multi-armed figure in red stands at the centre. On the stage in front, a man with a shaved head and tied topknot wears an orange-red dhoti and a garlanded neck, seated behind a large dark bowl with a brass vessel nearby, and a small silver shrine with a seated figure sits to the left. Photos of a seated pair and others are framed in flowers at right. A crowd of devotees sits in the foreground, and a cameraman in white stands at the left edge.

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January 31 20182018-01-31March 03 20182018-03-03 +1 copiesNight ceremony in front of a tiered stepped shrine decorated with rows of small deity murtis garlanded with orange and yellow marigolds. At the top, a canopied shrine holds a deity group under a festooned arch. A central figure in an orange-red robe stands on a raised platform with a microphone, flanked by two large standing deity statues, one pink and one green, with an ornate silver palanquin with a lit tiered top to the left. Brass vessels and oil lamps sit in front. A seated crowd of devotees in white and orange clothing, some with long braided hair, watches from below, with a few people in the foreground on the platform in orange and white.2018-03-03Night view of a Thaipusam-style festival setting with a tiered stone stage packed with black statues of deities, many garlanded with yellow, white and purple flower garlands. At the top centre, a canopied shrine with striped purple and yellow floral drapery frames seated deity figures. Below, a bearded man in an orange-red dhoti and shawl with white and red markings sits cross-legged on the ground at a microphone stand, hands folded, with a garlanded deity murti beside him. Brass lamps and silver ritual items stand at left. Dark trees and a red wall form the backdrop.2018-01-31A dense tiered display of many black stone deity murtis, each draped with yellow, white and red flower garlands, arranged on stepped platforms. At the top centre, a large decorated shrine framed by striped yellow, purple and white floral drapes holds a seated deity murti and a standing female murti, with a red garland arch above. Dominating the lower centre, a large multi-armed deity murti in orange cloth stands beside a green-robed figure. In front, a bare-chested seated man in red-and-white cloth with a white flower garland and a large red turban-style head covering sits with folded hands before a microphone, facing the murtis. Brass pots and lamps stand on the lower left. The scene reads as a festival puja at a temple display.2018-01-31Night-time ritual scene at a temple-like setting with rows of dark stone or metal murtis, many draped with yellow and orange marigold garlands, stepped on tiered platforms. A central shrine is framed by yellow and purple floral arches and holds a deity pair. In front, a seated man in a red-brown dhoti and white shawl with a rudraksha-style garland sits cross-legged on a multicoloured striped cloth, with a mic stand nearby. Large brass vessels, a silver palanquin with a decorated canopy, and a bull figure stand at the sides. The man has no clearly visible long hair, crown or saffron robe and appearance is uncertain.2018-01-31Night photograph of a tiered stone platform lined with rows of small deity murtis, many draped in yellow, orange and green garlands. At the top sits a larger shrine decorated with striped yellow and white floral garlands, holding figures of a deity and consort. In the centre foreground a man in saffron-red dhoti and shawl sits cross-legged on a striped cloth, wearing a rudraksha mala and an orange turban, with a large bronze vessel and kalasha before him. Brass vessels, a silver palanquin-style canopy and small offerings of coloured powder fill the lower frame.2018-01-31Night photograph of a Thaipusam-style outdoor shrine set on tiered steps covered with rows of murti figures, most garlanded with yellow and red flower strands. At the centre top, a canopy framed with garlands holds a deity murti with a peacock-like form and figures in red and green garments. A seated man in saffron-orange robes, with a red-and-white shawl, a garland of white flowers and a dark headwrap, sits cross-legged at the base on a striped rug. Large bronze vessels and a silver palanquin with a canopy stand in the foreground, under floodlights and dark trees.2018-01-31Night photograph of an outdoor stepped display for the Thaipusam festival at the Adi Kailash Aadheenam, with many small murti figures of Lord Muruga and related deities arranged on tiered steps decorated with yellow and purple garlands. A central shrine canopy with an image of a deity sits at the top, lit by bright floodlights. In the foreground, several large bronze pots or kalasha vessels and flower offerings rest on a colourful striped cloth. A silver palanquin-style structure stands at left. At lower right, a photographer in orange clothing is partially visible, filming the scene. No people are otherwise visible; the figures are statues.2018-01-31Night photograph of a temple-style ritual set against a red wall. A man seated cross-legged on a colourful floor cloth wears a dark turban, bare chest and red-orange cloth around his waist, with a small brass vessel and kalasha nearby. Behind him, rows of black stone murti figures on tiered white steps are draped with marigold and yellow garlands, and a canopied shrine with striped flower pillars holds a deity murti. A woman in orange and a figure in green stand among the murtis. Small piles of coloured powder and flower offerings lie on the ground in the foreground.2018-01-31Night-time outdoor ritual at a temple-like shrine. A tiered stepped structure is filled with many dark-hued deity murti, each draped with marigold and yellow garlands, and a central shrine niche under a striped canopy holds a decorated deity murti with garlands. In the foreground a priest with a shaved head, bare upper body and a reddish-brown dhoti stands facing the shrine, a sacred thread visible across his shoulder, beside a microphone stand and a red-cushioned seat. Brass lamps, a kalasha and other puja vessels are arranged at the lower edges, and a framed portrait with a green-and-red cloth sits at the lower right.2018-03-03Night ritual at an outdoor stone platform lit by warm lamps and fairy lights. Behind it, a tiered wall holds dozens of small black deity murtis, many garlanded with marigolds, with a larger central figure beneath a canopy decorated with striped flower garlands. A seated man in a red-orange shawl and white dhoti sits at the centre of the platform before a microphone, with a silver palanquin-style shrine to his left, brass vessels and a kalasha-like pot in front, and a green-and-red cloth draped over a rack on the right. Several dozen devotees in white, orange and saffron sit with their backs to the camera facing the platform, some holding offerings.2018-03-03