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Night photograph of a fire-walking ritual at an outdoor festival. A devotee in a white dhoti and shirt walks barefoot across a glowing bed of embers in a long trench lined with dry straw, hands pressed together in prayer. Another man in white follows behind him. Dense crowds of devotees in white clothes line both sides of the path, many women with braided hair and orange sarees, held back by long bamboo poles. Drummers in white stand at the right edge beside drums. Above, a decorated palanquin or ratha with lamps is lit under a coconut palm, with a strand of bunting overhead. No clear appearance cue for a person is visible among the figures.

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December 30 20062006-12-30December 30 20072007-12-30December 30 20072007-12-30December 30 20072007-12-30Night photograph of a fire-walking ritual on dirt ground. A long trench of glowing white-grey embers runs down the centre, bordered by wooden rails. A man in white clothes and a white cap stands at the left edge of the trench, while another person in white walks or steps across the embers near the centre. Behind the rails, a large crowd of people in mostly white clothing, with some orange and saffron garments, watches closely. A lit illuminated palanquin or ratha with decorative lamps stands in the background, with a strung bunting line above and dark trees beyond.2006-12-30December 30 20062006-12-30Night photo of a fire-walking ritual at a temple. A long pit of glowing embers runs down the centre, and a person in white dhoti and shawl walks across it with hands pressed together in prayer. Men and women in white ritual clothes line both sides of the path, with bamboo poles marking the lane. A lit ornate chariot or palanquin with lamps stands at the far end, and a bald man in white stands at right near the pit. A large crowd of devotees watches from behind the poles.2006-12-30Night photograph of a fire-walking ritual at a temple. A long pit of glowing embers and ash runs down the centre of the frame, and a man in a white shirt and white dhoti walks barefoot across it. Beside the pit, a man in white with folded hands stands praying, and another man in white kneels at the lower edge. Crowds of devotees dressed mostly in white stand behind wooden bamboo barriers on both sides. A golden deity murti or decorated kalasha stands on a white raised structure at the top of the frame, with festoon bunting strung overhead. No figure can be identified as the a person from appearance here, so the walker is described only by role.2006-12-30Night photograph of a fire-walking ritual at an outdoor temple festival. A barefoot woman in a white dhoti and white top with an orange shawl walks across a pit of glowing embers while men in white dhotis and shirts stand along the edges, one holding a steel pot. A dense crowd of devotees, many in white and some in orange and red saris, watches from behind bamboo barriers. A lit ornate temple structure and a decorated palanquin or ratha stand in the background under strings of pennants and a bright floodlight.2006-12-30December 30 20062006-12-30A night-time fire-walking ritual at a temple ground. A barefoot devotee in white clothing and folded hands walks down a rectangular pit of glowing embers and ash, flanked by people in white dhotis and shirts. Lines of wooden stakes and rope separate a large crowd of spectators, many dressed in white and colourful saris and salwar. A lit golden kalasha or shrine structure is visible at the top of the frame beside white tents and a string of decorative flags. A small blue bucket sits at the lower left. Several figures in white dhotis appear to be assisting along the pit edges.2006-12-30Night photograph of a fire-walking ritual in an outdoor temple courtyard. A long pit of glowing red embers runs across the foreground, with smoke rising from it, bordered by wooden poles and rails. Many people dressed in white stand along the rails, some in white dhotis and shirts, one in a yellow-bordered sari. In the background a lit lamp stands on a raised platform near a tall pole, with a deity murti and white-draped structure beneath, under a string of pennant flags. A man in white with a blue bucket stands near the pit edge. No single person can be confidently identified as the a person from appearance alone.2006-12-30