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A photograph of an indoor initiation-style gathering. A central man with long dark hair, a red bindi, rudraksha mala beads and a long gold necklace wears a white garment and holds a small gold deity murti. To his left an older bald man in white clothing with an orange-red shawl raises his palms in greeting. On the right a man with long hair and a white forehead mark wears a red shawl and rudraksha beads and raises one arm. Behind them an orange-and-white checked shawl is worn by a person, and white-clad devotees stand in the background beside a brass lamp stand and a small table holding a phone.

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June 24 20172017-06-24Photo of an initiation or blessing scene indoors. In the foreground right, a bare-chested man with long dark hair and a white marking on his face and forehead presses one hand on the head of a seated man in a white shirt on the left. Behind them stands a man with shoulder-length rudraksha mala beads, a red bindi, hoop earrings and a white cloth draped over his shoulder, beside a brass oil lamp and a gold deity murti bust. A red curtain and a figure in orange robes sit in the background.2017-06-24June 24 20172017-06-24A photo of an initiation moment. On the right, a bare-chested man with long swept-back dark hair, a white forehead mark and a red-and-brown rudraksha mala draped over his shoulder places his right hand on the head of a young man on the left, who wears a white shirt, rudraksha beads and has his eyes closed with hands raised in devotion. Behind them stands a person in an orange-and-red checked shawl and a white dhoti with a yellow border, and a smiling man with a red bindi watches beside a small golden deity murti with a crown. Soft blurred background with a brass lamp at upper left.2017-06-24July 25 20172017-07-25 +1 copiesA photograph of an initiation moment in a temple-like hall. A bare-chested man with long dark dreadlocked hair and a sacred thread-bead necklace touches the forehead of a seated man in white clothes with an orange-red patterned shawl, who sits with palms pressed together in anjali. The initiator has white sacred ash marks on his forehead and holds a rudraksha mala. Behind them, a woman in white with an orange shawl and an older man in white and orange-red shawl look on, and a man in the foreground sits beside a small gold deity murti. A brass kalasha-style vessel and a framed item are visible in the background.2017-06-24A photograph of a ritual blessing inside a temple-like hall. A man with long matted dreadlocks, wearing a rust-red cloth, a heavy gold bead necklace, gold armlets and red beaded bracelets, extends his right arm to press his palm onto the head of a seated devotee. The devotee, bare-chested with a sacred thread and a vertical white mark on his forehead, presses his palms together in reverence. In front is a small golden deity murti of a goddess with a crown and necklaces, flanked by bird figures. Behind them stand people in white dhotis and a woman in a saffron-brown sari with rudraksha beads, against a wooden pillar. The man with dreadlocks appears to be a person, given his long hair, rudraksha-style adornments and gold necklace, but his identity is uncertain from appearance alone.2017-07-07A photograph of an initiation ritual. A shaved-headed man in an orange-and-red patterned top and beaded necklaces smiles as a bare-chested priest with long dreadlocked hair and a red cloth at his waist presses his palm to the man's head. A second man in white with long beaded hair and rudraksha malas holds up a handwritten paper beside them. A small gold deity murti with a crown stands in the foreground, and a standing figure in orange robes is behind. Background shows red drapery. Several people are partially visible.2017-06-24June 24 20172017-06-24July 07 20172017-07-07A photograph of a ritual exchange indoors. A man with long hair pulled back, a vermilion tilak on his forehead, and layered rudraksha malas holds up a handwritten sheet of paper toward the camera. On the left, a man in a white garment with a red-and-gold striped shawl watches. On the right, a man with long hair and a red shawl gestures. Behind them, saffron-orange shawls hang on a rack, and a small brass deity murti with a silver-toned tray sits in the foreground beside a brass lamp stand.2017-06-24July 04 20162016-07-04