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Night outdoor ritual at Mattu Pongal celebrations. A cow with a brown coat, garlanded horns and yellow and white flower decorations stands on a sand-coloured platform while a white-clad older man holds its head. Behind them, devotees in saffron and orange robes with rudraksha malas stand with hands joined and some carry brass trays with offerings. On the right, a bare-chested man in brown cloth wears a long white flower garland and has long dark hair, with an ornamented figure beside him in an orange robe and white head cloth. A striped mat covers the ground and a crowd stands behind in the dark.

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January 15 20182018-01-15Night-time photograph of a Mattu Pongal ritual at an outdoor ashram setting with a striped mat on the ground. A brown cow with garlands of yellow and white flowers and a red-marked forehead stands at centre beside a small calf. Several young men in saffron-orange robes and rudraksha malas hold brass plates with flowers, fruit and offerings, and one bearded man in saffron stands prominently holding a plate with a flame. Behind them a crowd of devotees in white dhotis and saffron cloth press their palms together in namaskar. A woman with long braided hair wearing a pink-and-white flower garland faces away in the foreground.2018-01-15January 15 20182018-01-15 +1 copiesNight outdoor photo of a Mattu Pongal ritual honouring cattle. Two cows decorated with yellow and white flower garlands and colourful ribbons stand on a sandy patch in front of a striped floor mat. A man in a white shirt and white dhoti leads them with hands near the animals. Behind them, many saffron-robed sannyasis stand with hands folded in prayer, and several wear rudraksha malas. On the right, a robed figure in maroon with long dreadlocked hair and a white-and-pink flower garland stands with palms pressed together, appearing to be a person (appearance-based, not verified), and nearby a monk holds a brass tray of offerings, fruit and flowers. Onlookers in white fill the background.2018-01-15Night ritual outdoors at a Mattu Pongal celebration: two cows, one brown and one reddish calf, stand on sand decorated with a colourful kolam, garlanded with yellow and orange marigolds and flower strands. A man in white dhoti and shirt holds a lit oil lamp or flame near the cows, and a sannyasi in saffron-orange robes rings a handbell in the foreground. Nearby, saffron-robed devotees with rudraksha malas stand in rows with palms pressed together, some holding offering plates of fruit and flowers. On the right, a man in orange robes and a long garland of pink and white flowers holds his hands folded in namaste. A floral-decorated bowl sits on the ground, and striped mats cover the floor.2018-01-15 +1 copiesJanuary 15 20182018-01-15January 15 20182018-01-15January 15 20182018-01-15January 15 20182018-01-15January 15 20182018-01-15January 15 20182018-01-15January 15 20182018-01-15