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Nithyanandapedia
Four men stand around a white stone shivalinga in a temple shrine on a Maha Shivaratri-themed occasion. The central man, with a dark turban and beard, wears a rust-red shawl, a leopard-print lower garment and a large rudraksha mala, and holds a bell in one hand while smoke rises beside him. Two assistants in saffron and rust cloth and rudraksha malas stand on either side, one holding a bundle of incense sticks and a small cup. A fourth man in saffron and rust clothing stands at the left edge. A golden deity murti with a crescent and a garland stands behind the lingam, beside a golden trident, and the lingam is dusted with white powder.

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February 13 20182018-02-13February 13 20182018-02-13A photograph of a temple ritual with a central man in a brown and leopard-print wrap, rudraksha malas across his chest and forearm, and a long rudraksha-bead headdress, holding incense sticks and a small bell beside a white-coated Shivalinga. Behind him a deity murti is garlanded with marigolds and a trident stands upright. Around him several men in saffron and orange cloths, some bare-chested with rudraksha and beaded necklaces, assist in the abhishekam, with white ash marks on their skin. Smoke rises from the incense.2018-02-13A photograph of a temple ritual inside a shrine. In the centre, a bare-chested sadhu in a dark turban wears layered rudraksha malas and a leopard-print lower cloth, and holds a smoking incense or dhoop stick and a small brass vessel. Behind him stands a deity murti with a crown, a trident and garlands of yellow and red flowers. In front, a white-ash-covered shivalinga sits on a stone base. To the left, two more men in orange cloths and rudraksha necklaces are partly visible, and a smoky haze fills the air.2018-02-13February 13 20182018-02-13A photograph of a temple ritual in progress. A smiling bearded man with long dreadlocked hair, a crescent ornament at his crown, rudraksha beads on his arms and neck, and a leopard-print lower garment over a rust-brown wrap, pours or applies liquid from a small vessel onto a white sculpted shivalinga on a stone base, with a silver-and-brass trident and garlanded deity murti behind him. Around him, several other men in orange and rust-coloured wraps, some bare-chested with white sacred ash markings on their arms and chests, stand by holding rudraksha malas and ritual items; one wears a red turban and another has a long braid. Swamiji (probable): the central man has long dreadlocks, a crown-like crescent ornament, rudraksha adornments and ritual leopard-print dress, matching the page's account of a Prana Pratishtha abhishekam.2018-02-13Temple ritual scene with a shaved-headed devotee in a leopard-print lower garment and brown upper cloth, bare-chested with white ash markings on his arms and rudraksha beads, holding a brass tray of offerings in front of a carved deity murti. Behind him stand two men in saffron-orange cloths and rudraksha malas, one with a trident-shaped brass object and one holding a lit lamp. On the right a figure in a red-brown turban and ceremonial gold ornaments with a crescent moon emblem stands beside a large white-powdered shivalinga surrounded by flower garlands. The shivalinga is covered in white ash, with flowers at its base. Offering plates and a small cup sit on the tray, and a golden trident hangs in the background.2018-02-13Photograph of a temple abhishekam scene. A bearded man with long dreadlocks, wearing a brown bodice and a leopard-print cloth, stands at a stone Shiva lingam covered in white ash, holding a small vessel and a brass tray. Behind him, men in orange-red robes and rudraksha malas attend the ritual; one holds a metal dish and another wears a kumkum-marked forehead. A large brass trident and a deity murti draped in garlands stand in the background. Visible ritual context suggests a puja or abhishekam in a temple hall.2018-02-13A man with long dreadlocked hair, a rudraksha mala and a red-brown wrap stands at a shrine beside a gilded trident and a deity murti draped in flower garlands, with a white ash-covered lingam on a silver base in front. He wears a leopard-print lower garment and has white ash on his arms and chest, with his palms pressed together in worship. Several attendants in orange robes stand nearby, one bending forward, with white ash on their skin, in what appears to be a puja or abhishekam setting.2018-02-13February 13 20182018-02-13A photograph of a temple abhishekam at a stone shivalinga-style deity murti draped in red and yellow flower garlands. A bearded man with a tall dreadlocked headdress and a crescent ornament pours water from a silver vessel over the deity, which splashes into a steel basin. He wears a leopard-print lower garment, a rust-red top, and rudraksha malas and bead bracelets. Beside him, a younger attendant in an orange-saffron cloth and a shaved-head priest in orange also stand. A figure in an orange-red cloth is partly visible at the lower right. Behind them is a golden deity murti in red and white garlands with a red turban, and red curtains.2018-02-13February 13 20182018-02-13