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A young boy, bare-chested and wearing a white dhoti, sits cross-legged on a blue-grey floor facing two large black stone deity murtis in a temple room with red velvet curtains and a yellow wall. On the left, a seated goddess murti wears a pink and green silk sari, a garland of flowers and a pendant necklace. On the right, a standing Vishnu-form murti wears a tall gold crown, a red and gold shawl, a yellow dhoti and a heavy gold necklace. Brass oil lamps (deepas) with lit flames stand around the room, and brass puja vessels and a small lamp are set on a low table before the boy.

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Photo 82851752022-08-20A priest performs puja before two dark stone deity murtis in a shrine room. On the left, a murti of Devi Mahalakshmi wears a pink and green sari and layered gold necklaces with bangles. On the right, a murti of Sri Venkateshwara stands in a tall gold crown with a vertical tilak and a red-and-gold shawl over orange-gold dhoti, draped in yellow and white flower garlands. The priest, bare-chested with a white dhoti and sacred thread, faces the deity while holding a lit oil lamp. Brass oil lamps stand on the floor, and a brass puja tray with small bowls and a lamp sits at the base, against a golden wall with red curtains.2022-08-20 +1 copiesPhoto 66787882022-07-23 +3 copiesA photograph inside a temple shrine room. A devotee in a white dhoti and cream shawl with a gold border stands with back to the camera, raising a lit oil lamp toward a black stone deity murti. On the left, a seated black-stone Goddess murti in a pink and teal silk sari with gold border, wearing a tall crown, pearl necklaces and garlands, sits on a black pedestal. On the right, a standing black-stone Vishnu-form murti wears a tall crown with a tilak, a blue and gold dhoti, garlands and gold ornaments. Brass lamps, a kalasha and red flower garlands surround the shrine, and a painted temple gateway backdrop completes the scene. This shows a vilakku puja.2026-01-24KAILASA HOUSTON, USA on 1/22/20222022-01-22A temple shrine interior with two deity murtis under gilded arches against dark maroon curtains. On the right, a black-faced murti of Venkateshwara wears an orange and gold silk garment, a large gold necklace and a white-and-pink flower garland. Before it, a bare-chested priest in a white dhoti with a yellow border kneels and offers flowers and ornaments at the feet of the murti, with pink roses and marigolds spread across the base. A brass lamp stands to the right. On the left, a second murti in a blue and red silk skirt with gold trim sits on a red and gold throne cover, adorned with necklaces and a crown-like headdress. The priest has tattoos on his arm and a dark topknot.2020-12-25A young boy with short dark hair, bare-chested and wearing an orange sacred cloth draped over his shoulder and an orange dhoti, stands at right holding a silver bell in one hand and a small silver dish of offerings in the other, facing a shrine. Three dark stone deity murtis stand on a black pedestal before red and orange draped backdrops: the central murti wears a tall gold crown, a white flower garland, and a bejewelled breastplate; the flanking figures wear yellow and purple silk saris with gold borders and flower garlands. Orange and blue flower arrangements and peacock feathers decorate the base. This appears to be a puja performed before the murtis.2021-11-17A shirtless priest in a white dhoti with a purple-and-gold border stands at right, extending his right hand toward a tall black stone deity murti of Venkateswara (Balaji) with a tall crown, a white urdhva pundra and a red tilak, and ornate gold and jewelled ornaments. The murti wears a green and pink silk garment and stands on a dark stone pedestal scattered with pink flower petals. The priest holds a brass bowl in his left hand. In the foreground, a glass-topped table holds brass lamps, a kalasha-style pot, a small gold-coloured standing figure, brass plates and cups and bowls. Red curtains and a yellow wall form the backdrop.2022-06-10 +1 copiesPhoto 82879722022-06-11 +1 copiesKAILASA SAN JOSE, USA on 7/4/20202020-07-04A woman in a gold-brown top and white-and-gold sari kneels at lower left, pouring from a small vessel near a brass pot on a wooden stand, with brass plates and vessels in the foreground. Behind her, two dark stone deity murtis stand on black pedestals before a painted temple-door backdrop. The murti on the left wears a pink and green silk sari, a tall crown, layered gold necklaces and holds lotus flowers. The murti on the right wears a purple and gold sari, a tall crown, a gold garland and a tilak. Brass oil lamps stand on both sides, and garlands hang from the wall, with red curtains framing the scene.2026-01-24KAILASA SAN JOSE, USA on 12/25/20202020-12-25