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Photograph of an abhishekam at a temple shrine. A man with long hair, a dark turban and a leopard-print sleeved garment pours water over a black Shiva lingam set on a tiered base, and a sacred trident stands nearby. Behind him a bare-chested man in orange dhoti and rudraksha mala assists. A deity murti at right is draped in yellow and white marigold garlands and red-and-white flower strands. A devotee in white clothing and an orange-clad figure sit in the foreground, and a bright spotlight lights the stone pillars overhead.

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February 13 20182018-02-13February 13 20182018-02-13A temple abhishekam scene. A bare-chested man in a leopard-print wrap and maroon-brown dhoti stands at center, holding a copper vessel and pouring water over a dark stone yoni-peetha base. Behind him a robed attendant in saffron/orange clothing and a white-and-saffron headwrap stands, and another man in an orange cloth and dark head covering stands at left. The water cascades onto a large deity murti at right, decorated with thick garlands of yellow, red and green flowers, a gold necklace, and draped in orange-and-red cloth. Stone pillars and a carved ceiling frame the shrine.2018-02-13February 13 20182018-02-13A temple abhishekam in progress: a bare-chested man in a leopard-print dhoti and a dark red cloth draped at the waist, with a tall dark turban and rudraksha-style beads, pours water from a silver vessel over a decorated deity murti garlanded with marigolds and red flowers. Water sprays across a dark stone peetha basin, with flower petals scattered on the floor. Around him stand several sannyasis in saffron and orange cloths, some wearing rudraksha malas and white ash markings on their arms, one holding a mala. A trident hangs on the wall behind, and a bare-backed attendant in saffron sits at the lower right beside colourful draped silk and garlands.2018-02-13A temple abhishekam scene in which a bearded man with a dark turban and bare torso, wearing a leopard-print cloth and maroon waist cloth, pours water from a silver vessel over a black stone Shivalinga on a round yoni-peetha base. Garlands of yellow and pink flowers hang on the deity, which is dressed in a colourful sari-like cloth. A trident stands at the left. Three to four attendants in saffron-orange dhotis and rudraksha malas stand behind, one with a shaved head and one with a white-marked forehead. Flower petals scatter on the wet floor and a yellow cloth lies at right.2018-02-13A photograph of an abhishekam at a black stone shivalinga on a lotus-shaped yoni pedestal. A bare-chested man with long braided dark hair and a beard, wearing a leopard-print loincloth and a rust-coloured wrap, pours water from a white vessel over the lingam. Beside him, a shirtless young attendant in orange-red cloth with rudraksha beads stands at the left, and another ritual participant in orange garments and a red turban stands behind. Water streams down the lingam, and a deity murti draped in colourful cloth and garlands appears at the right.2018-02-13February 13 20182018-02-13A photograph of a temple abhishekam in progress. A bearded man with a tall dreadlock-style crown, bare-chested and wearing a leopard-print lower garment and rudraksha malas, pours or sprinkles water over a black stone shivalinga on a pedestal. Water sprays through the air. Behind him, several men in orange and saffron cloths with white body markings and rudraksha malas stand and watch. A deity murti with a red-and-gold turban, flower garlands and a trident stands beside the lingam. Colourful silk textiles and flower garlands hang at the right, and petals lie on the floor.2018-02-13February 13 20182018-02-13A photograph inside a temple shrine during an abhishekam. A bare-chested man with a turban and a leopard-print lower garment stands at center, pouring liquid from a metal vessel over a black Shiva lingam set on a stone yoni pedestal. Behind him a golden deity murti wears a garland of yellow and red flowers and a bejewelled crown. To the left, two men in saffron and orange dhotis, one with a rudraksha mala and sacred ash markings, watch and assist, and a turbaned woman in orange stands beside them. Flower petals lie on the wet floor, and a colourfully draped figure with garlands stands at right. Trident and rudraksha malas are visible.2018-02-13Abhishekam at a temple shrine: a bare-chested man with a rudraksha mala, wearing a leopard-print cloth and maroon garment and a black head wrap, pours liquid from a golden vessel over a black shivalinga on a stone peetha. Behind him, a man in a red-and-maroon turban stands beside the linga. Orange-robed priests stand nearby, and a seated devotee in an orange shawl is at right. Large marigold and yellow garlands drape two large deity murti figures on the right, one wearing a crown and holding a trident, the other in a striped garment. Water runs down the linga base onto the floor.2018-02-13