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Three shaved-headed priests in plain white dhotis and white shawls sit before a decorated shrine during a puja. The seated priest at centre has his hands folded in anjali, while the one at left sits with a tray and writes or handles items. Both have white ash lines on their arms and foreheads, and gold chains around their necks. Behind them stand painted deity murti figures, including a Ganesha with a pink body and a goddess figure with a garland. A brass oil lamp, kalasha-style vessels, plates of fruit, flowers, sweets and coconuts, and a small silver-and-gold ritual setup lie on the tray in front. Bright garlands of marigolds decorate the shrine.

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A temple puja scene with two shaved-headed priests in white dhotis seated on a white cloth before a shrine. The priest on the right sits with palms joined in prayer, wearing a gold chain and bangles; the priest on the left, bare-chested with white sacred markings on his arms and forehead, handles a ritual item. Before them are brass plates of offerings: yellow and white sweets, flower petals, betel leaves, coconut, and rows of small brass oil lamps. Behind them stand painted deity murtis with garlands, including an elephant-headed figure and goddess figures in colourful garments, and a decorated silver-and-flower arrangement on a dais. No one is identified as a person in this image.2010-10-15October 15 20102010-10-15Night ritual in a decorated hall with a white marble fire pit (homa kunda) at centre. Several priests in white dhotis with bare upper bodies and white sacred ash marks on their foreheads and arms perform the rite, one pouring offerings from a silver bowl into the fire. Behind them stand large white-and-blue deity murtis framed by ornate white floral arches, with garlands of yellow and white flowers and brass lamps. On the right, a seated man in orange-saffron robes, a red-orange mala and a gold-trimmed red velvet throne watches the ceremony, with a standing attendant nearby.2010-10-15A ritual puja is performed before a large painted deity murti with four arms holding weapons, its shrine decorated with red and white flower garlands and brass lamps. In the foreground, a shaved-headed priest in an orange-saffron dhoti and shawl, seen from behind, holds a flaming oil lamp (aarti) toward the deity. Facing him, a young man in a maroon dhoti with white sandalwood markings on his arms and a beaded necklace sits cross-legged, hands folded. Brass vessels, a silver tray with food, a bowl of rice and a kalasha stand on the floor. Seated devotees in white clothes with orange garlands, hands joined in prayer, watch from the left and background.2013-05-17A shaved-headed priest in a white dhoti with a maroon border and a gold chain sits bare-chested at a white stone altar, pouring from a silver ladle into a silver bowl. Behind him stands a decorated deity murti with garlands of yellow and purple flowers, flanked by brass oil lamps and painted figures. Silver and brass vessels, plates of flower petals, grains and fruit sit in the foreground. The setting resembles a temple puja or abhishekam, with a shaved-headed priest performing the ritual, and no clearly visible a person candidate.2010-10-15October 16 20102010-10-16 +1 copiesOctober 16 20102010-10-16 +1 copiesOctober 16 20102010-10-16 +2 copiesOctober 15 20102010-10-15A photograph of a shaved-headed priest in white ritual dhoti and a bare upper body with a gold chain, kneeling at a white stone altar and pouring from a small silver vessel into a silver bowl. Marigold and white flower garlands are arranged on a central deity image, with brass oil lamps on either side. Behind the altar are large painted and garlanded deity images, including a lion-headed form. Silver bowls, scattered grains, flowers and red powder are set out on the altar, indicating a puja or abhishekam.2010-10-15Outdoor homa ritual at an ashram courtyard during Navaratri. Several priests in white dhotis and shawls sit on the ground around a square fire pit with flames, pouring offerings and handling ghee and grain in brass vessels. Behind them stand large colourful deity murtis, including a large goddess murti in red and white, an elephant-headed Ganesha murti with a purple garland, and several white-clad figures with garlands. Foreground tables hold steel plates of fruit, banana and orange, bundled offerings wrapped in red and green cloth, and brass lamps. Behind the priests, an empty red and gold throne holds a framed portrait of a deity. Orange buildings, palm trees and paper bunting fill the background. One priest near the centre wears a gold necklace; the central figure in the back row is partly obscured.2010-10-16 +1 copiesOctober 13 20102010-10-13