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Night-time fire-walking ritual in a temple courtyard. A woman in a white sari walks barefoot across a long pit of glowing embers bordered by earthen edges, while onlookers stand behind bamboo barriers. Many devotees in white dhotis and white kurtas watch closely; a man in the foreground in white with a bare head and a beard stands near the pit, and a man at right in white with an orange cloth over his shoulder and red-and-white beads raises a camera. Several children and women in colourful clothes look on from the right. No figure is clearly identifiable as the a person with confidence from appearance alone.

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Night photograph of a fire-walking ritual at an outdoor temple event. A woman in white clothes with a light beige jacket walks barefoot across a long pit of glowing embers and ash. Along both sides of the pit, men and women in white dhotis and kurtas, some in orange shawls, stand behind bamboo poles and wooden barriers, with a crowd of devotees in saris and colourful clothing behind them. A man in white with a grey beard stands in the foreground at the pit edge, and a bucket sits at the lower left. White tents and a decorated ratha or palanquin are visible at the top. The pit is lined with earth and logs.2006-12-30Night photo of a fire-walking ritual on a dirt-banked pit filled with glowing embers and grey ash. A woman in a white sari with an orange border walks barefoot across the coals at the centre, while men in white dhotis and shirts stand along bamboo railings on both sides. Spectators crowd behind, many women in blue and patterned saris and children in front. A lit kalasha-style lamp and decorated structure glow in the background, and a man in white holds up a camera. The a person candidate is not clearly identifiable from appearance, so no identity is asserted.2006-12-30Night photograph of a fire-walking ritual at an outdoor temple celebration. In the centre, a woman in a white blouse and striped white-and-purple shawl walks barefoot across a long pit of glowing embers bordered by earth banks. Behind and beside her, many people in white dhotis and white shirts stand along bamboo railings, with a few in saffron or orange garments among them. On the right, a man in a white shirt raises an arm holding a camera or object above the crowd. A lit temple structure or canopy glows in the distance. Many onlookers, including women in saris and children, crowd the scene.2006-12-30December 30 20062006-12-30December 30 20062006-12-30December 30 20062006-12-30December 30 20062006-12-30Night photograph of a fire-walking ritual with a long trench of glowing embers in the foreground. A woman in a pink sari walks barefoot across the coals with her hands pressed together in prayer. White-clad devotees and men in white dhotis line both sides behind wooden stakes and rope barriers, with a crowd of spectators beyond. A blue bucket sits at the left edge near the trench. In the background a decorated palanquin or ratha with a lit deity murti and a kalasha rises above the crowd under strings of pennant bunting and a white canopy. Two men in white stand near the front right edge, one looking toward the walker.2006-12-30Night photo of a fire-walking ritual in an outdoor temple setting. A woman in a white sari walks barefoot across a long pit of glowing embers, with a bucket of water at the edge. Around her, men in white dhotis and shirts stand with bamboo poles while a large crowd of devotees watches from behind a barrier. A lit temple chariot or palanquin with decorative lamps appears in the background, and bunting is strung across the top of the frame.2006-12-30December 30 20062006-12-30Night photograph of a fire-walking ritual at a temple procession. A woman in a white sari with gold border and an orange shawl walks barefoot through a long trench of glowing embers, arms slightly outstretched. Crowds in white dhotis and white shirts line both sides behind bamboo poles, and devotees in white and orange stand close. A bright floodlight and a decorated ratha/chariot with a red and gold canopy appear in the background under a row of pennant flags. A blue bucket sits at the trench edge.2006-12-30December 30 20062006-12-30