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Outdoor group meditation at a stone-stepped ghat with black carved stone lingams in the foreground. A woman in white with long dark hair sits with hands held in mudra. Beside her, a bald bare-chested man in white with gold chain and sacred thread sits eyes closed; a man with rudraksha malas and a red-tipped bead bracelet, bare-chested, sits hands in mudra; a bespectacled man in white with rudraksha beads sits behind. Red steps and brass vessels visible in the background.

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A photograph of a Rudra Abhishekam ritual in progress. Several devotees sit in a row along a red-brick platform, pouring water from brass pots over a line of black Shivalingams decorated with pink flower petals. A bare-chested man in the foreground wearing a rudraksha-style mala holds a brass pot and pours from it. Beside him, a woman in a white and cream sari and a man in dark glasses and white clothing also hold brass vessels. Other participants in white garments sit behind them, and brass pots and a blue water bottle lie on the steps.2016-12-02 +1 copiesOutdoor photo of many shirtless male priests seated in rows on red-painted stone steps lined with black stone shivalinga-shaped pillars. Foreground: a young man with short hair, white horizontal body markings and a brown-bead rudraksha mala, hands joined in prayer, wearing an orange-saffron dhoti; in front of him sits a small brass plate with offerings. Behind him, another priest in orange dhoti with white ash lines and mala also has palms together. Further back, priests in white dhotis with gold-bordered cloth sit in prayer posture, and brass pots rest on the steps. No identifiable a person appearance is visible; the figures are ritual participants.2016-11-11December 19 20162016-12-19Outdoor ritual at a stone temple of black linga-shaped stone bases (shivalingas) arranged on red stone steps during a Rudrabhishekam. A young man with long dreadlocks and bare chest, wearing a white dhoti with gold border, sits with palms pressed together in prayer, a white ash marking on his forehead. Beside him a man in a red silk dhoti and rudraksha mala with a bare torso holds his hands together, and further back other men in white dhotis and bare chests sit with ash-smeared bodies. Small white ritual items and a brass lamp sit on a cloth in front. Orange flags and a metal railing appear in the background.2017-01-02Four devotees sit on red-painted stone steps beside black stone shivalingams on pedestals, with small brass vessels and bowls nearby. On the left a man in white dhoti with a gold border and a rudraksha-style mala presses his palms together in prayer. Next to him a woman in a cream sari with a gold border also joins her palms in prayer. A bare-chested man in white dhoti with a mala bends over a lingam, and at right another bare-chested man in a white dhoti with gold border sits with head bowed. A figure in orange at the upper right sits on a higher step. The scene suggests a ritual abhishekam or puja at the lingams.2016-12-03A photograph of seated people on red stone steps lined with rows of black Shiva lingams on pedestals, many with flower garlands and brass lamps and bowls at their bases. In the foreground a bare-chested man in white dhoti with a rudraksha mala sits cross-legged beside a brass lamp and small brass vessels. Next to him another bare-chested man with a long braid and beaded necklaces sits in white dhoti, with a third bare-chested man in a white dhoti and rudraksha mala seated behind. A light-skinned older man in white dhoti and a shawl sits on the right, while a woman in a white sari and a woman in orange saree sit further back on the steps. The scene appears to be a ritual gathering with abhishekam-style offerings.2016-12-03December 03 20162016-12-03Photograph of several bare-chested men in white dhotis seated on red-and-black steps beside black stone shivalingams topped with yellow flowers, during a ritual. The central man has a bun, a beard, a red tilak, rudraksha malas, a large pendant and a tattooed upper arm, and holds his hands together in a mudra. The man on the left wears rudraksha malas and a gold wristwatch and sits with hands clasped. A shaved-headed man in front wears rudraksha malas and has a white mark on his forehead. Behind them, other seated devotees and gold kalashas are visible, with an orange cloth bag and a blue bowl holding incense sticks and offerings. No printed name identifies any person.2016-12-03December 12 20162016-12-12Devotees sit in rows on red stepped platforms lined with black stone Shiva lingams and brass kalashas and lamps, consistent with a Rudra abhishekam setting. In the foreground a woman in a red top and white bangles sits with her palms together, and beside her a bare-chested man with white tilak on his forehead and rudraksha malas holds a small offering. A woman in a white t-shirt sits with palms joined in prayer, and a bare-chested man in the middle row also presses his palms together. At the top left, an older bare-chested man in white dhoti sits with hands folded at his chest. The scene is an outdoor ritual gathering of participants in prayer posture.2016-12-02A photograph of a row of devotees seated on red steps at a ritual, with a line of black Shiva lingams in the foreground, several decorated with pink flower petals. Behind them brass pots and a brass vessel sit on the steps. A man in a white shirt and a bare-chested man with a rudraksha-style bead necklace lean forward toward the lingams, one pouring from a small vessel. A woman in a white sari and a man in glasses and a light shirt sit nearby. At the right edge a red garment with gold trim is visible. Bright white and red clothing and rituals of abhishekam are evident. Six or more people are visible, with a few partially cropped in the foreground.2016-12-02A photograph of a Shiva puja at a Rudra Abhishekam: several bare-chested men in white dhotis sit on a red-edged platform beside black stone Shiva lingams with brass tops. The man in the centre wears rudraksha malas and a white thread, and holds a small brass bell. Another man on the right, with a shaved head and rudraksha mala, also holds a bell, and a woman in a teal patterned top with a red bindi and rudraksha mala sits beside him. A man on the left raises one hand with a flower or offering. No figure is clearly identifiable as a person from the visible cues.2016-12-17