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Night outdoor puja at an open ground beside a garlanded deity murti. A standing priest in plain white dhoti and upper cloth with a gold-bordered sash holds brass bells and an incense or camphor vessel, sending smoke upward. Behind him a golden ornamental shrine is wreathed in yellow and red flower garlands. In front, a row of devotees kneel and sit on the sand in white and red saris and white dhotis, hands folded in prayer; one holds a lit oil lamp on a tall stand. A tray with bananas, coconuts and a plate of offerings sits on a white-draped table. Dark trees and a brick-coloured wall form the background. a person is not visibly present.

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January 09 20132013-01-09January 09 20132013-01-09January 09 20132013-01-09A night-time outdoor puja at an ashram. A priest in white dhoti and shawl with a gold border bends forward at a table laid with bananas, mangoes and fruit on gold plates, performing offerings before a decorated deity murti garlanded with yellow, red and green flowers. A devotee holds a lit torch on the left, and a man in a saffron-coloured cloth stands nearby. Several people in white ritual clothes with rudraksha malas stand with hands folded in prayer, and a woman in a blue sari watches. Speakers and foliage fill the background.2013-01-09January 09 20132013-01-09November 18 20152015-11-18Night photograph of an outdoor ritual on a raised platform. A man in a white dhoti and an orange-saffron shawl stands at centre, holding a small bell in one hand and an oil lamp on a metal plate in the other. Behind him a long staff holds a lit lamp. To the left stands a deity murti or utsava image draped in yellow and red marigold garlands, with a gilded backdrop. A hanging banner in Telugu text sits on the left. Several children and women in saris watch from the right.Night photograph of an outdoor evening aarti at a Tiruvannamalai ceremony. In the left foreground a shaved-headed priest in white dhoti and shawl with a white-painted torso holds a multi-flame brass lamp toward the crowd. Behind him a second priest in white raises a tall tiered oil-lamp arrangement high overhead, with flames visible. Seated women and girls in white and yellow saris kneel on the ground, some with hands folded in prayer, and a large crowd in white clothing stands and sits in the darkness beyond. A bell rests on the floor, and small lamps glow along the edge of a raised platform at right. The main subject is the aarti offering by the priests.2011-04-17Night ritual outdoors. A shaven-headed priest in orange-saffron dhoti and shawl with gold trim stands at right, holding a flaming camphor aarti lamp in a silver holder in one hand and a small silver pot in the other, with smoke rising. In the left foreground, a gold arched prabhavali frames a white and silver deity murti. Behind, seated devotees with folded hands, a man in white shirt, and women in saris watch, some in yellow and orange. A partial green sign with printed text stands in the background. Aarti during a night puja.2011-11-10 +1 copiesOutdoor night ritual aarti on a raised platform. A standing man in orange ochre robes with a draped orange shawl, bare-chested with gold-bordered cloth and a gold necklace, holds a silver aarti lamp with flames in his right hand and a small silver bell in his left. Seated beside him, a woman in white with folded hands and a shaved-headed man in white dhoti with gold necklace and a gold-bordered shawl tend a fire pit with offerings. Marigold garlands, a kalasha-like brass vessel and a plate of flowers lie in front. A small deity murti with an ornate crown stands at left, and a shaved-headed figure in white sits at the lower left edge. Background shows stage scaffolding, speakers and string lights.2011-12-20February 15 20142014-02-15Night outdoor puja at a temple-like setting. A shaved-headed man in an orange-saffron dhoti and shawl with a gold-coloured border stands at right, holding a lit oil lamp (aarti) in one hand and a small brass vessel in the other, with smoke rising from the flame. Before him on a gold-coloured ornate pedestal stands a gilded deity murti under a gold arched prabhavali. Behind, devotees in white and coloured saris and shirts sit with hands folded in prayer, and several white-clad priests with gold necklaces sit at right near brass vessels and a bowl. Illuminated decorations and green-draped tables line the background.2011-11-10