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Night-time photograph of a fire-walking ritual at an outdoor temple area. A glowing bed of red-hot embers lies in a trench, with wooden poles and a bamboo-style barrier set along it. A man in a white dhoti and white shirt with a white cloth, wearing a beaded necklace, stands at the centre, while another in white stands beside the embers holding a long wooden pole. Behind the barrier, a large crowd of devotees in mostly white clothing, with some women in orange and colourful saris, watches closely. A brass pot sits at the lower left, and strings of triangular pennants and a lit lamp hang overhead near a palm tree and small white shrine structure.

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December 30 20062006-12-30December 30 20062006-12-30December 30 20062006-12-30December 30 20062006-12-30December 30 20062006-12-30Night 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.2006-12-30Night photograph of a fire-walking ritual in an outdoor temple grounds. A figure in white dhoti and shirt walks barefoot across a trench of glowing embers lined with earth banks. Crowds of devotees in white dhotis and saris stand on both sides behind bamboo poles, and a lit ratha-style structure or shrine with a lamp glows in the background under strung festoon bunting. A blue bucket sits at the left edge near the trench.2006-12-30December 30 20062006-12-30Night photograph of a fire-walking ritual pit. A long trench of glowing red embers and ash smoulders in the foreground, bordered by wooden poles and sticks laid across it. Behind it, a crowd of men in white dhotis and white shirts stands and watches around a raised white platform. On the platform is a lit lantern or oil lamp, a dark deity murti with garlands, and metal pots and vessels. Palm trees and a strip of blue and white bunting stretch across the dark background. The scene reads as a fire-walking ritual with devotees gathered around the altar, but no one is shown walking the coals and no prominent figure is singled out.2006-12-30Night photograph of a fire-walking ritual at an outdoor temple celebration. A long pit of glowing embers runs across the centre, and a man in white dhoti and shirt walks barefoot across it while another man in white stands at its edge. Dense crowds of devotees in white clothes, with orange, saffron and red saris and shawls, line both sides behind bamboo poles. A lit torch or lamp tower with a canopy stands in the background under strings of lights. A drum rests in the foreground.2006-12-30December 30 20062006-12-30Night-time photograph of a fire-walking ritual in an open courtyard. A long rectangular pit of glowing, ash-covered embers runs down the centre, and a barefoot person in white dhoti and shawl with an orange sash walks across it. Lines of spectators stand behind bamboo barriers on both sides, many dressed in white, and a drummer in white with a large drum is at right. A tall decorated kalasha or ratha structure is visible at the top of the frame. A blue-and-white logo appears at upper left. A small bucket of liquid sits at lower left.2006-12-30