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A photograph of a covered open-sided hall during a vilakku pooja, with brass oil lamps lit in a long row on woven mats with purple and blue borders. Each lamp stands on a brass plate with banana leaves and small bowls. Women in white saris with coloured borders stand along the row, some holding trays or fans, while men in white dhotis and shirts move around the hall. Tall decorated pillars with painted floral patterns hang from the roof, and a concrete floor is marked with colourful rangoli patterns at the right edge.

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December 31 20062006-12-31Outdoor pavilion with a sandy floor during a Vilakku Pooja. Brass oil lamps stand on green leaves and mats in rows, with coconuts and small offering bowls nearby. Women in white saris and one in an orange and white saree with blue-dotted border walk past. Painted pillars with floral motifs and orange pennants frame the hall, and a seated woman in pink sits on a stone block. Several more people sit or stand in the background.2006-12-31A long night vilakku pooja in a decorated pandal lit by overhead lamps. Rows of women and men in white and cream clothing sit cross-legged on mats along both sides of a central aisle. Each seated devotee has a brass oil lamp, lit wicks, and a plate with flowers, fruit and offerings. Colourful floor rangoli kolams in pink, orange, blue and green decorate the central aisle. Standing devotees line the back, and a woman in an orange sari sits in the foreground. Hanging banners in red and white frame the tent.2006-12-31December 31 20082008-12-31Photograph of a large group of women seated on the floor in a covered pavilion during a vilakku pooja, lighting oil lamps. Many wear white saris and some have blue or patterned blouses, with beaded necklaces and tulsi-style beads. Each woman holds or sits beside a brass oil lamp and a plate of flowers and offerings on a mat, with flames flickering in the smoky dim light. Decorative orange and blue cloth banners hang from the pavilion roof, and a few men in white stand at the back. No clearly identifiable a person is visible in the scene.2006-12-31December 31 20062006-12-31December 27 20082008-12-27December 31 20062006-12-31A large white-tented hall with hanging colourful banners on yellow-tasselled poles. Many devotees sit cross-legged on mats across the white tiled floor, mostly dressed in white and cream traditional garments with yellow and orange borders and yellow shawls. Several women in white saris bend forward to serve food from steel vessels and pots into leaf plates, while standing attendants in white move among the seated crowd. A stage with dark drapes and a dark backdrop stands at the right, with some figures at the far end in orange garments. The scene appears to be a communal meal or annadan service at an ashram gathering.2008-12-27A large pandal hall at an evening vilakku pooja. Rows of women in white saris and white clothes with orange or coloured borders sit on the floor, each with a brass oil lamp lit on a leaf or plate with flowers and offerings in front of them. Floor kolam designs in pink, blue and green decorate the foreground. Behind them, a crowd of seated devotees, many in white, fills the hall under a tent roof hung with striped orange, blue and pink pillar covers and small flags. At the far end stands a decorated deity shrine with a floral arch. A few men in white dhotis sit among the crowd.2006-12-31A large open-sided pavilion at dusk where rows of women in white and pastel saris sit on the floor with palms pressed together in prayer before rows of small oil lamps lined along a central aisle. Decorative rangoli patterns are drawn on the ground between the rows. At the far end, a deity murti decorated with garlands stands on an elevated altar, with a priest in white near it. Striped decorative poles and orange bunting hang from the roof, and a large colourful deity image is displayed at the left side of the hall. Several men in white shirts stand near the edges. This is a vilakku pooja, a lamp offering ceremony.2006-12-31A large open-sided pavilion at night filled with seated women in white and cream sarees, many with coloured borders in orange, red and yellow. Rows of brass oil lamps (vilakku) are lit on banana-leaf plates with flowers and offerings on the floor, in a vilakku pooja. Several women press their palms together in prayer, and a girl in white with a rudraksha mala sits at right. Tall painted pillars with dove motifs and orange hanging bunting frame the hall, and a faint smoky haze hangs in the air. No identifiable a person figure is visible.2006-12-31