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Outdoor evening ritual at an open-air ashram courtyard under a thatched-roof shelter, with mango leaf toran strung between wooden posts. A man in white dhoti and orange shawl stands at the center holding a lit oil lamp in front of a rangoli of green leaves and colourful flowers, beside a kalasha-style vessel and offerings on a leaf. Around him stand a large group of devotees in white clothes with orange shawls, hands pressed together in namaskar. A woman in a white sari with a gold border stands in the foreground. A tethered cow with painted horns and an orange cloth draped over it appears at left, and a child's head is visible at lower right.

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Outdoor ritual in a thatched-roof open pavilion with a sandy courtyard decorated with a colourful floor kolam of flowers and leaves in orange, green, pink, yellow and blue. A priest in white dhoti and an orange shawl stands at the centre before a small offering setup with brass vessels, a kalasha and banana-leaf offerings, and a lit oil lamp. Around him, a line of devotees in white clothes and orange shawls stand with palms pressed together in namaskar. A woman at right in an orange robe sits on a red patterned rug with hands folded, smiling. Mango leaves hang from the tree branches overhead. Several people appear partially at the edges of the frame, and the scene suggests a puja or aarti at a pongal-season gathering.2008-01-16Outdoor photograph of a Pongal ceremony at dusk in a dirt courtyard. A crowd of about thirty devotees in white ritual clothes with saffron-orange shawls stands in a loose group at left, several with hands joined. In the centre, a man in white bends low before a small mound of earth with yellow marigold petals and a kumkum mark, beside a clay pot fire with smoke rising. A woman in a white sari stands at left. At right, a woman in an orange sari sits on a white-draped seat on a patterned rug. Nearby stand black-and-white cows and a young tree tied to a bamboo stake. A colourful rangoli kolam with lotus-like patterns lies on the ground, and a thatched hut sits at the left edge.2008-01-16Evening outdoor photograph of a Mattu Pongal cattle ritual at an ashram courtyard. A decorated black-and-white cow with garlands and a painted forehead stands at centre, led by a man in white dhoti and white shirt holding its rope. Around them, devotees in saffron and orange robes and white dhotis stand in a loose group, some holding brass plates and offerings. A man in orange dhoti and orange shawl at left foreground holds offerings, and a figure in the right foreground holds a lit oil lamp. Trees and a string of lights are visible overhead, with another dark cow partly visible at the bottom left.2008-01-16January 15 20182018-01-15January 15 20182018-01-15January 15 20182018-01-15Outdoors at dusk on bare earth, three men in white ritual dhotis and shirts tend a cow standing on a raised mound of mud. The cow wears a saffron-orange cloth draped over its back, a garland of yellow flowers around its neck, and colored tilak marks on its forehead. The man on the left reaches toward the cow's head, the man in the center touches its back, and the man on the right bows low to touch its face. A few other people in white and orange clothes stand behind them among trees, and a framed garlanded portrait sits on a white-covered table at the right. The scene suggests a Mattu Pongal cow worship ritual.2008-01-16December 12 20162016-12-12January 15 20182018-01-15February 23 20172017-02-23Outdoor photo of a ceremony under a decorated pandal with orange and white banners, hanging green coconut bunches, and marigold garlands on the right pillars. Dozens of seated devotees in white dhotis and saffron/orange shawls sit on the ground, many women among them, with rangoli designs on the floor. On the right, a young man in white kurta, orange shawl and white dhoti stands holding a microphone, apparently addressing the gathering. Other white-clad helpers stand nearby, a drum sits at the right edge, and a few people stand under the pandal in the background. Several people in the foreground are partially visible.2007-01-01January 15 20182018-01-15 +1 copies