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A photo of a ritual preparation of aushada in a temple-like hall with rising smoke. A man in saffron-orange clothing with a saffron shawl and a wide silver-toned head covering crouches on the floor, working over a low stone or brick platform. In front are shallow silver bowls of red and yellow powders, pale powder and dark ash, with smoke rising from them. Green leaves lie on the floor beside a blue-rimmed bucket, and a row of brass bells and a silver ritual vessel with a lamp and a silver-embossed drum stand nearby. A carved wooden shrine with silver panels and an oil lamp sits in the background. The man has a crown-like headpiece and saffron clothing; the scene is a single figure at the ritual.

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August 29 20172017-08-29August 29 20172017-08-29A photograph of a ritual preparation in a temple-like hall, with smoke drifting through the air. A seated man in the centre wears a white headband, rudraksha beads and a reddish-orange shawl over his shoulders, with a wristband and bangles, and holds a small object in his hands. In front of him on the floor are silver trays and plates of white and dark powders, green leaves in a pile, a silver bowl and a blue-rimmed cup, a silver pedestal, and a large silver vessel at the right edge. Another person in orange clothing is partly visible at the left edge, and white-clad figures stand at the back. The scene suggests a sacred herbal preparation process.2017-08-29A seated man in an orange-saffron shawl and a grey fur-trimmed cap sits cross-legged on a bare floor with eyes closed, holding a small brass vessel. A rudraksha mala hangs at his chest. Before him is a silver peetha holding a small deity murti garlanded with white and orange flowers. Around the floor are shallow silver and brass bowls filled with white powder, dark herbal material and reddish-brown substances, some smoking, plus green leaves, a silver kalasha-style vessel, brass items and bundles of incense sticks. Red-draped chairs and carved wooden screens stand in the background.2017-08-29August 29 20172017-08-29A seated figure in orange and saffron robes with a silver-grey headband and rudraksha malas performs a ritual on the floor of a wooden-screened room. Silver and brass vessels, green leaves, a cup, and a silver puja tray with a lamp and flowers surround him, with smoke rising from the offerings. Behind him a silver frame with garlands sits beside a small brass deity murti. Two people in white and orange clothing stand at the edges; a microphone stand is visible. The setting suggests an aushada preparation rite with herbs and offerings.2017-08-29August 29 20172017-08-29August 29 20172017-08-29A seated man in orange-saffron robes and a leopard-print head wrap, with rudraksha malas on his neck and arms, performs a ritual preparation on a leopard-print cloth before a silver shrine holding a small deity murti and a garlanded image. Before him is a silver tray filled with red-orange liquid, a grey stone, and a cut lime or fruit, plus a bowl of green beans. Round silver plates hold smoking ash-like offerings in a homa-style setting, and a small brass oil lamp burns nearby. Another person in orange sits at the upper right, and a silver vessel stands beside the shrine. Two people are visible, the seated ritual performer and the partially visible person at the upper right.2017-08-29A man seated cross-legged on a concrete floor grinds herbs with a stone pestle in a small stone mortar during a preparation ritual. He wears an orange-saffron shawl, a leopard-print headband and a rudraksha-style bead necklace, with bare arms and a sacred thread-like adornment. Around him are shallow silver-rimmed plates of coloured powders (white, yellow, orange, red) each holding a lit oil lamp with kumkum on the flame. Green leaves lie on the floor to his left, beside a silver stand and a copper vessel. Behind him is a silver ornate throne-like chair garlanded with flowers and a small deity murti. A carved wooden screen and a cameraman in orange appear in the background.2017-08-29August 29 20172017-08-29August 29 20172017-08-29