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A Pongal celebration under a thatched shelter. Two clay pots decorated with white lines and garlands of yellow and red flowers sit on mud-brick hearths, with a fire burning beside one pot and sugarcane stalks tied into an arch above. A bare-chested man with long dark hair, a rudraksha mala and an orange cloth stands at left. Women in saris of red, orange, purple and teal kneel or stand around, one holding a brass plate. Kolam designs and a red mat cover the ground, and orange-robed devotees sit in the background near a red throne.

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Outdoor Pongal celebration under a thatched canopy hung with sugarcane stalks and palm leaves. Two clay pots decorated with white painted patterns and marigold garlands sit over brick hearths, with flames rising from the right pot as women tend the fire and carry brass plates. A standing man in orange ochre cloth stands behind the left pot, bare-chested with a rudraksha mala, a bundle of firewood nearby. Other women wear saffron, purple, teal and red saris, and a row of saffron-robed sannyasis sits on mats in the background beside kolam designs on the ground.2018-01-14Women in colourful saris perform a Pongal ritual under an open shelter. Two decorated clay pots with marigold garlands sit over small fires on brick hearths ringed by flowers, flanked by sugarcane stalks tied into an arch. A woman in a teal sari holds a brass plate with a burning flame, while others in red, maroon, orange and purple saris stand near; a sadhvi in orange robes is visible at left. Kolam patterns decorate the ground and a red mat covers the floor.2018-01-14Outdoor Pongal ritual at the Tiruvannamalai Adheenam under a shaded canopy. Two clay pots decorated with white painted patterns and garlanded with yellow and red flowers sit on brick hearths, with flames rising from the pot bases. Sugarcane stalks tied with leaves form tripods over each pot. A woman in a rust-brown sari leans in to tend the fire at left, while a woman in a pink-and-green sari kneels at the fire. Other women in orange, red, purple and blue saris stand and kneel on red mats and a white kolam floor design, with a few in white and orange nearby. A chair with red upholstery is visible in the background.2018-01-14Pongal cooking ritual outdoors under a pavilion: two clay pots decorated with white painted patterns sit on brick hearths ringed with marigold garlands and white kolam designs on the ground. Sugarcane stalks with leaves tied overhead frame the pots. A woman in a pink blouse and green-and-gold sari kneels and tends a flame beneath one pot, while a woman in a rust-brown sari stands at left smiling. Behind them, women in orange, purple and yellow saris stand on red mats and a woman in white sits, watching.2018-01-14Outdoor Pongal celebration under a shaded tin roof at a rural ashram. Women in saffron and red saris and a teal sari stand on a red carpet and kolam-decorated ground while a woman in a teal sari pours milk from a brass vessel into a clay pot boiling over a brick fire. Marigold garlands are wound around the pots and the hearth, and sugarcane stalks stand beside them. Another clay pot boils over a second hearth to the right, and a cameraman in saffron robes with a rudraksha mala films at the right edge. Rangoli patterns cover the floor.2018-01-14January 14 20182018-01-14A Pongal ritual outdoors under a thatched shelter where a shaved-headed priest in saffron-orange cloth stands bare-chested with sandalwood markings, facing two clay pots decorated with white patterns and garlanded with yellow and red flowers. Fire burns from a pot set on bricks, with sugarcane stalks tied into a frame above. Women in red, orange, pink and green saris stand around with hands joined, one holding a vessel, while seated women in orange and saffron sit on a red mat in the background.2018-01-14January 14 20182018-01-14January 14 20182018-01-14January 15 20162016-01-15A photograph of a Pongal celebration in an open-sided pavilion with a red-brick and bamboo frame and a dirt floor. Several saffron-robed devotees stand at the back, one with a drum. Near the centre a man in a saffron cloth bends over a stone or grinding slab with a bowl of offerings. A white kolam floral pattern surrounds a brass-and-clay pot with a pineapple, marigold and banana offerings. Clay pots with leaves and sugarcane stand beside rows of banana-leaf plates heaped with rice, fruit and sweets. A tall man in a maroon dhoti and marigold garland, with a turban and a decorated umbrella overhead, stands on the left. A yellow-and-orange flag hangs at the upper right.2018-01-14Outdoor Pongal ritual under a thatched shelter. Two clay pots decorated with white patterns and yellow-and-red marigold garlands sit on brick hearths; one hearth has a lit fire boiling over. Sugarcane stalks with leaves are tied in tall arches above the pots. Women in red, maroon, pink and blue saris stand with hands folded, while men and women in saffron-orange robes stand nearby; one man in orange cloth stands bare-chested pouring or stirring near the fire, and a woman in orange and red holds a camera. White kolam designs decorate the ground, and a red carpet runs along the floor.2018-01-14