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Temple puja in progress before a gold-framed deity murti adorned with red flowers, yellow marigold garlands and a golden kalasha-style backdrop. Four priests stand at a stone platform: a bald priest in white dhoti with saffron-orange shawl pours or offers at the altar, while a bearded man in white holds a woven basket and two bare-chested men in white dhotis and rudraksha malas stand with folded arms; a fifth man on the right, bare-chested with an orange cloth and beaded mala, stands with arms crossed. Brass vessels, banana leaves, fruit, and marigold-decorated steps surround the altar under scaffolding and string lights.

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March 02 20182018-03-02Outdoor ritual at a temple-like setting with bamboo scaffolding overhead. A shaved-headed priest in white dhoti with a saffron-yellow shawl and rudraksha mala stands at center, holding flower petals in his hands before a golden throne-like seat decorated with garlands, roses and marigolds. A deity murti wrapped in white cloth and marigold garlands sits in a gold frame on a red cloth. Brass pots, a kalasha-style vessel and offering plates of petals line the foreground. Other priests stand bare-chested in white dhotis, one on the left in a yellow-and-green cloth and one at right with arms crossed, wearing rudraksha malas. Incense smoke rises at lower center.2018-03-02A temple ritual photograph at night. An elderly priest with a shaved head, wearing a white dhoti and an orange-and-yellow silk shawl, stands before a gilded throne-like altar decorated with red and orange flowers and yellow marigold garlands. Below, a small deity murti is adorned with white and green garlands, flanked by brass pots, a kalasha, and silver vessels. Several men with bare torsos and white dhotis stand nearby with arms folded, one wearing a rudraksha-style mala necklace, while a man at right wears a blue shawl. Steps in front are lined with marigold petals and small lamps, and smoke rises at right. Scaffolding and bare walls are visible behind.2018-03-02March 02 20182018-03-02March 02 20182018-03-02Outdoor temple ritual at night beneath strings of multicoloured fairy lights along a pillared pavilion. Several men in traditional south Indian attire stand before an ornate golden deity murti or throne-like shrine heaped with red and yellow flower garlands. A bald man in white dhoti with a saffron-orange shawl and a rudraksha mala holds a woven basket of red flowers. Beside him a shirtless man with a grey beard and white dhoti with green-bordered cloth stands with folded hands. Another man in a red garment with blue cloth holds a tray of red petals, and white flower garlands hang at the right edge. Brass vessels and a lamp sit on the floor in front. The scene looks like an abhishekam or puja. None of the men is identifiable as a person from appearance cues shown here, so no candidate is asserted.2018-03-02A homa ritual in a covered hall with a brick fire pit in the foreground. A shirtless priest in white dhoti sits at left, waving a ladle or stick over the pit, which holds offerings and marigold garlands. A standing man in a white dhoti and orange-red shawl with a beaded necklace stands at right with hands folded. Two seated men in saffron-and-purple attire with white cloth chant at a microphone, one in the background at right. Behind them stands a gold-framed altar with a seated deity murti draped in marigold garlands, flanked by golden kalasha-style vessels and brass lamps. Gold-and-red ceremonial umbrellas decorate the sides of the hall.2015-07-17August 02 20172017-08-02Four male priests perform a ritual beside a golden ornate throne-like structure draped with marigold and yellow flower garlands, green leaves and a red cloth. The priest on the left holds a small bowl and wears a white dhoti with yellow border and a sacred thread. The second priest in a white dhoti with gold border bends over the offerings. The third shirtless priest has red and white beads around his neck and a yellow waist cloth with blue border. The fourth, a young man with hair in a knot, stands behind the throne. Scaffolding and string lights are visible overhead.2018-03-02A ritual homa at a temple-style pavilion. A priest bent forward in white dhoti with red-bordered cloth pours offerings or flame near a tiered golden-blue pedestal topped with a kalasha and marigold garlands. Behind it, a golden throne with a deity murti and ornate lion-carved armrests is draped in garlands. Several young men in saffron-orange shawls and white dhotis stand in a row, some with rudraksha-style necklaces, and a seated priest tends brass vessels and bowls of flowers, fruit and turmeric in the foreground. Small clay lamps flicker before the pedestal. Several devotees with folded hands stand at the left under white and pink drapery.2015-07-17A temple puja scene in a stone-pillared hall lit by strings of small lights. An elderly priest with a shaved head and white dhoti, wearing an orange-and-gold shawl, bends forward to offer flowers at a small deity murti decorated with white and red flower garlands, set on a red-draped stone platform. Behind the murti a golden throne-like structure is garlanded with red and yellow flowers. To the right a younger priest in a white dhoti with an orange sash holds a brass bowl, and another priest stands beside him. On the left a shirtless young man with a woven basket and rudraksha mala assists. Oil lamps, brass vessels, flowers and leaves lie on the floor in front of the murti, and a platform with flower petals and a flame sits at the bottom right.2018-03-02February 02 20162016-02-02