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Outdoor ritual scene at a Pongal-style festival setting. In the foreground a shaved-headed sannyasi in saffron-orange robes sits on a striped blanket reading from loose papers, with bananas and sugarcane stalks beside him. A large platter and raised stone slab are heaped with marigold, jasmine and red flower garlands, with brass kalasha-style pots, small bowls, banana leaves and a potted plant around it. Nearby a woman in white sits on a red cloth, and people in orange and green robes stand behind, with a brass oil lamp burning at the right edge. Decorated ground with white kolam-style patterns and brass lamp stands complete the setting.

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January 14 20182018-01-14January 14 20182018-01-14January 14 20182018-01-14A photograph of a ritual at an open-sided pavilion. A bare-chested man in a maroon-red dhoti with a gold waist ornament, a red turban and a white-and-pink flower garland stands with hands folded in namaskar before a large flower-decorated altar covered in yellow and white marigolds and red roses. Behind him, several men in orange-saffron robes and rudraksha malas hold offerings, one holding a tray of red flowers. A woman in an orange sari stands at right holding a brass vessel near brass oil lamps. Bananas, a pineapple, coconut and brass bowls sit on striped mats in front, with a kolam drawn on the floor. A yellow banner with a bird emblem hangs at right. Several more people in orange and white stand in the background.2018-01-14January 14 20182018-01-14A photograph of an outdoor Pongal-season puja under a shade structure at an ashram. Several devotees in saffron-orange clothing sit on striped woven mats, with bare-chested men and women in orange cloth and bead necklaces seated at the front. A large floral mat holds marigold garlands, sugarcane stalks lie in a pile, bananas and pineapples are arranged on mats, and clay pots sit beside a kolam drawn in white on the ground. A tall man with a red turban, a long garland of yellow flowers and gold necklaces stands at left, watched by a line of standing orange-clad devotees with hands pressed in anjali. A saffron-and-yellow ceremonial umbrella stands at right beside a brass lamp.2018-01-14January 14 20182018-01-14A ritual scene in an open courtyard during a Hindu puja. A man in the centre wears a maroon-red turban, a gold necklace with a white flower garland, and a dark maroon dhoti, with hands joined in namaskar. Behind him, several men and a woman in saffron-orange robes stand with joined hands, one holding a tray of red flowers. Before them a floor altar has a flower-covered mound of yellow and red blossoms with white petals, bananas, coconuts, brass bowls of kumkum, a lit oil lamp and incense sticks on a striped cloth. Brass lamps and a kalasha stand nearby, and a saffron and yellow banner with a bird emblem hangs on a pole at right. Rangoli-like designs decorate the ground.2018-01-14January 14 20182018-01-14January 14 20182018-01-14Outdoor pavilion with a red floor cloth, leafy bamboo and mango-leaf decorations, and a mud-plastered ground. A man in a maroon-brown dhoti with a saffron-red turban and a marigold garland stands at left, while saffron-robed attendants and a bare-chested man in orange cloth tend the ritual area. Several clay pots with leaf-wrapped rims sit on flower-strewn mud platforms beside a white kolam design and bananas, fruit and offerings on banana leaves. At right, a decorated altar holds flowers, oil lamps and a row of silver-toned items, with saffron-and-white triangular banners hanging on the posts.2018-01-14Outdoor Pongal-style ritual under a open-sided shelter at an ashram courtyard. In the foreground, a large flower-garlanded platform holds small brass oil lamps and kalasha-like pots with banana bunches, green leaves and a pot of sprouting plants on a striped mat; a brass aarti plate with a bell and a tray of red flowers sit nearby, and a stacked fire pit with sticks stands at right. Several men in white dhotis and bare-chested standing devotees, along with women in orange saris, stand in a line with hands folded behind the decorated kolam floor. A man in a white shirt stands at left. Dust-coloured ground and decorated rangoli patterns surround the scene.2018-01-14