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A dense group of devotees performs an aarti-style ritual with lit oil lamps (diyas) held aloft in both hands. Many men in bare-chested or shawl-draped attire with red sashes and rudraksha-style beads stand and sit in the background, some with palms pressed together. Women in saris and salwar kameez, including a woman in a purple blouse with gold trim and another in red, hold lamps and wear bangles, forehead markings and flower-decorated hair. Brass plates with flowers and offerings sit on the floor at lower right. A black draped backdrop and a standing air-conditioning unit frame the scene.

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A dense group of devotees performs a ritual with lit oil lamps (diyas) held in outstretched hands. Bare-chested men in white dhotis and red shawls, with rudraksha malas, sit closely packed on a stage backed by black drapery. A woman in a red sari and a woman in a lilac sari with gold bangles join them in the foreground. A silver-bordered wooden stand with a small cup sits to the right, and a standing woman in red with hands in anjali pose appears in the upper centre. Plates of offerings and many flickering lamps fill the floor. Some faces are partly hidden, and no clearly identifiable ceremonial figure stands out for a person identification. The overall mood is a communal aarti with oil lamps.2018-01-01A crowded photograph of a devotional gathering in a stage hall with red and gold drapes. Dozens of devotees, mostly women in saris and salwar kameez with red, pink, orange and teal colours and kumkum marks on their foreheads, stand and sit closely packed while raising small brass oil lamps or aarti lamps toward the front. Some wear rudraksha malas and bangles. A haze of incense or smoke hangs over the scene, and a partly visible stage backdrop and yellow banner are behind them. The image is a crowd photo, so the people shown are devotees performing an aarti-style lamp offering rather than a specific named ritual.2018-01-01January 01 20182018-01-01May 25 20172017-05-25January 01 20182018-01-01A photo of a group ritual with many participants seated in rows behind a chain barrier, holding brass oil lamps (diyas) aloft with lit flames. Foreground figures wear white dhotis and white forehead markings, with rudraksha malas and gold bangles; behind them, others wear saffron and orange robes. Brass puja vessels, a small brass lamp and a framed picture of a deity sit on a cloth at lower left. The setting is an indoor hall with maroon curtains.2014-08-24A photograph of a row of seated men in a ritual setting, each holding a small brass oil lamp with a lit flame. Several men are shown bare-chested with white ash or paste markings on their upper arms and shoulders, wearing saffron/orange cloths and white dhotis. One man at the right wears an orange cloth draped over his shoulder and a beaded bracelet on his wrist. Blurred figures in pink and orange sit in the background, and a brass lamp stand and small plates of offerings and flowers rest on a striped mat in the foreground. The setting suggests a puja or aarti with oil lamps.2017-01-22A photograph of a padapuja-style ritual in a courtyard. On the left, a seated man in orange robes with a bare chest and shaved head sits behind a silver tray holding apples and brass bowls. Around him, men in white dhotis with red-and-white sashes and gold necklaces hold lit oil lamps aloft, and a woman in a yellow sari also raises a lamp. Several women in white saris with orange shawls sit in the background, and smoke drifts through the frame. Silver and brass vessels fill the foreground tray, and a man's shaved head is visible in the lower centre.2010-09-08A dim hall filled with rows of seated devotees holding lit oil lamps, the flames glowing warmly in the dusk-lit room. Most wear white and cream saris and kurtas, several with orange or yellow borders and shawls. Brass plates with flowers, kumkum, and small oil lamps sit on the floor in front of them, and a video camera on a tripod stands at the right edge. The scene suggests a puja with collective lamp offering.2010-12-28A photograph of a row of seated devotees in a bright hall performing a puja with lit oil lamps. In the foreground, several men and women in saffron and orange robes hold lit diyas and incense sticks toward a long line of brass plates and offering trays on the glossy white floor. Some wear white garments, and a bald man in front holds a flame. Behind them, rows of people in orange and white sit before more lamps, and a woman in white stands near pink walls and wooden doors. Brass stands and flower offerings sit on the floor, with smoke rising from the incense.2017-05-25January 22 20172017-01-22A large seated congregation performs a group puja in a hall. Many men are bare-chested, wearing white dhotis with yellow borders and rudraksha malas, some with sandalwood or vibhuti marks on their foreheads. Several hold lit oil lamps or small flames in their hands. Tall yellow-and-gold poles stand among the rows. Women in white and yellow saris sit at the left and back, and a woman in an orange sari stands near the top. The scene is shallow-focus and crowded, with the foreground figures blurred. No identifiable a person is confidently visible among the nearby participants.2017-05-24