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Close photo of hands in rust-red robes crumbling dried cowdung cakes into a stainless steel bowl set on a granite pedestal. Two people are visible: one with a bare wrist and a grey beaded bracelet, the other with white ash stripes on the forearm, a red thread band and a gold bangle. Bhasma is being prepared as part of an Aushada purification process. Scattered flower petals and a green leaf lie on the floor at the lower left.

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August 31 20172017-08-31 +1 copiesA photo of a person in a rust-red sari seated on the ground, hands placing flat, dried cowdung cakes onto a stone platform with a metal tray beneath them. Pale white ash or bhasma sits among the cakes, and a silver-legged table with a tray stands behind. White horizontal lines mark the arms and a red thread bracelet and gold bangles are worn. A strung rudraksha mala hangs at the neck, and green leaves and pink petals lie on the floor at the right. This shows the Aushada purification step, where cowdung is burned for smoke and bhasma is prepared. The person is visible only from the arms and torso downward.2017-08-31 +1 copiesTwo bare-chested male devotees in orange and maroon cloth sit close together over a round brass tray holding dried cowdung cakes. One man, at left, holds the tray, while the other, at right, binds or handles a small bundle of green herbs with his hands. Rudraksha malas and metal pendants hang on their chests, and beaded bracelets are on their wrists. A bowl of white flowers and incense sticks sits in the lower foreground, consistent with Aushada preparation.2017-08-31August 31 20172017-08-31August 31 20172017-08-31August 31 20172017-08-31August 31 20172017-08-31 +1 copiesA photograph of a Siddha purification process: a flat-bottomed metal vessel on a stone block holds glowing red embers beneath stacked dark cowdung cakes, with smoke rising. Behind it a wooden platform is dotted with red flower petals and a silver tray sits at the right edge. Blurred figures in rust-orange clothing are at the top left and top right, with hands visible at the top right; no faces are clearly shown. The scene depicts a homa-style fire with cowdung smoke used for purifying preparations.2017-08-31Close photo of a person in a rust-orange and maroon robe with yellow borders, kneeling and pressing both hands into a mound of loose brown earth or sand on the ground. The person wears a red and yellow flower garland, a gold-coloured bangle on the wrist, and gold bands on the arm. Other figures in similar orange and maroon robes stand behind, with a figure in white clothing at the right edge. A small yellow object and purple cloth lie near the mound. The scene suggests a ritual ground preparation, though the exact rite is not visible.2013-04-24August 31 20172017-08-31April 24 20132013-04-24Close-up photo of two sets of hands handling white powder over a polished silver tray with scalloped edges. A woman in the foreground wears a red-brown garment and a dark red thread bracelet, and her fingers hold a clump of white powder. Another person's hand with a red bracelet sits at the right, and orange-robed sleeves are visible at the top, with more white powder scattered across the tray and the surface below.2016-10-16