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A seated man with closed eyes and palms pressed together in namaskar sits before a shrine of deity murtis draped in multicolour garlands of yellow marigolds, red, purple and white flowers. He wears a tall black crown-like headdress with a white band across the forehead, a red-and-white cloth, layered rudraksha-style beaded necklaces, a gold chain and a gold-coloured armlet, and his body is smeared with white ash. Small oil lamps flicker in the foreground beside a silver vessel and scattered white powder, and an arched golden canopy frames the altar. Flanking him are garlanded statues of two standing and seated figures in red and green garments, one holding a staff. Mahashivaratri puja setting. Probable Swamiji in appearance: a bare-headed-crown, ash-smeared figure with rudraksha beads and gold necklaces, performing worship.

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March 07 20162016-03-07March 07 20162016-03-07A photo of a pada puja at a shrine decorated with marigold and multicolour flower garlands around a deity murti group. A central figure with a tall black turban sits in a saffron-red robe with a yellow and red flower garland and a rudraksha mala, his face and hands whitened with ash. Two attendants in red and orange robes with white forehead marks sit at either side, one holding a tray. Several devotees in the foreground have their hands near the base. Two statues of a seated figure with a red and gold robe flank the arch, and a bell hangs at the left.2016-03-07March 07 20162016-03-07A photograph inside a temple shrine during a Pratyakshya Pada Puja. At the centre, a person with a tall, dark, swept-up hairstyle, a white forehead marking, a rudraksha mala, a gold pendant necklace and a yellow-and-red flower garland sits smiling on the floor in front of the altar. Behind them, a large deity murti of Shiva with a trident and a consort figure sits on a red-draped platform, framed by arches of marigold and multicoloured flower garlands. Two standing figures flank the altar. A bare-chested priest with white ash on his body and a white headband sits at left beside a bowl, and another person with a dark topknot and white marks sits at lower right. Several people are visible, with a light dusting of white powder on the floor and their clothes. The centre person shows a person cues: a distinctive tall dark hairstyle, rudraksha mala and gold necklace.2016-03-07March 07 20162016-03-07March 07 20162016-03-07A central figure seated on a red cushion in a temple shrine, smiling broadly with a white paste smeared across the forehead and face, a tall black turban-style hair bun, a red-and-brown garment, a gold necklace, and rudraksha beads. Yellow and red marigold garlands drape over the shoulders and around the figure's neck. Behind, golden deity murtis and decorated figures in colourful multicoloured garlands stand against a backdrop of ornate garlands. A white powder covers the stone floor and a black stone slab. Another person in white and a person with a white-painted face and dark hair sit at the edges.2016-03-07March 07 20162016-03-07March 07 20162016-03-07A photograph inside a temple shrine during a Mahashivaratri ritual. At centre, a man with a tall black turban-style hair wrap, a red-and-gold garment, a long gold necklace and a yellow-and-red marigold garland kneels beside a dark stone platform dusted with white powder, smiling, his hands and forearms white with powder. Behind him a man in an orange garment with white-marked arms kneels and tends the platform. Large golden deity murtis with crowns and red-draped figures stand in a niche framed by tall garlands of yellow, red and purple flowers. A man on the left wears a white forehead mark and rudraksha mala, and devotees with white tilaks are visible at the lower edges. Offerings of flowers and fruit lie on the floor.2016-03-07March 07 20162016-03-07