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Photograph of a Mahashivaratri ritual at a temple shrine: a central figure with a tall black turban-style hair wrap, a pink marigold and pink flower garland, gold necklaces and a rudraksha-style bead mala, kneels in front of a large stone abhishekam vessel while smiling. Other figures in saffron and orange robes, some with white ash marks on their bodies, kneel and assist around the vessel. Behind them stand large colourful deity murti with gold ornaments, and garlands of yellow, red and purple flowers wrap the shrine columns. A man in white with a tilak mark smiles at the lower left, and a few other devotees are seen at the edges.

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March 07 20162016-03-07March 07 20162016-03-07Photograph of a ritual abhishekam in a temple shrine. A central figure with a tall black-and-white turban, a pink flower garland, gold necklaces and a red-and-white robe sits smiling on the floor. Several attendants in orange and saffron garments, some with white ash smeared on their bodies, are working around a stone bowl and offerings. Behind them stand large deity murtis with gold crowns and jewellery, draped in colourful marigold and red-and-white flower garlands. A tall metal vessel and a wooden platter of petals sit in the foreground.2016-03-07A central figure with a tall black turban-like headwrap and a white forehead marking sits smiling with eyes closed, wearing a large pink and yellow marigold garland, a gold necklace with a pendant, and rudraksha beads. Behind him, saffron-robed attendants with white-painted bodies and foreheads stand near a shrine decorated with yellow and purple flower garlands and deity murti. Several people, including children in orange jackets, stand or sit around him in the foreground, and a woman with a red flower in her hair is at right. The setting suggests a Mahashivaratri puja at an ashram.2016-03-07A photograph of a ceremonial abhishekam scene in a temple shrine decorated with marigold and multicoloured garlands. In the centre, a smiling man with a large dark swept-back hair bun and pink flower garland sits with ornate gold necklaces and a rudraksha-style mala over a red garment. Behind him, orange-robed attendants with white-painted foreheads and arms pour and tend offerings, and a large deity murti with a crown stands within the garlanded arch. A woman in red stands at the right and a few devotees' heads are visible in the foreground.2016-03-07A photograph of a temple shrine during a ritual. Central figure with long, voluminous dark hair piled high, wearing a red-and-gold garment, gold necklaces, and a garland of green leaves over yellow and white flowers, smiling while standing before a deity murti. Two men in saffron-orange dhotis with white forehead markings and bare chests assist, one sprinkling white powder. A man on the left wears a white dhoti and rudraksha mala, and a bare-chested man at left holds a white cloth. Behind them stands a dark deity murti with gold hands and crown, decorated with yellow, white and red garlands, and a second garlanded figure stands at right. Rows of marigold and multicoloured flower garlands frame the shrine. Visible are the lower heads of a few devotees in the foreground.2016-03-07March 07 20162016-03-07March 07 20162016-03-07A photograph inside a temple shrine during a Mahashivaratri ritual. At centre, a man with a tall black turban-style hair wrap, a red-and-gold garment, a long gold necklace and a yellow-and-red marigold garland kneels beside a dark stone platform dusted with white powder, smiling, his hands and forearms white with powder. Behind him a man in an orange garment with white-marked arms kneels and tends the platform. Large golden deity murtis with crowns and red-draped figures stand in a niche framed by tall garlands of yellow, red and purple flowers. A man on the left wears a white forehead mark and rudraksha mala, and devotees with white tilaks are visible at the lower edges. Offerings of flowers and fruit lie on the floor.2016-03-07March 07 20162016-03-07March 07 20162016-03-07A photograph of a Mahashivaratri ritual at an outdoor shrine with colourful flower garlands. In the centre, a man with a tall, swept-back black hair crown, gold necklace and red-and-gold garland sits on a low platform, smiling, with white sacred ash on his arms and forehead. Around him, several men in saffron-orange dhotis with white ash marks on their bodies and foreheads pour liquid and tend the abhishekam. A large steel vessel stands at left and a small brass lamp is nearby. Behind them stand golden deity murti with garlands. Several devotees in red and dark clothing sit in the foreground, backs to the camera, with hands folded.2016-03-07