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A ritual puja in a temple-like room with orange-painted walls and string lights. A bald priest in white dhoti with gold borders stands bowed at left, holding a small brass vessel over a plate of offerings. Seated on the floor, boys in white clothes and a beaded necklace face a low wooden chair decorated with a flower and an orange cloth draped over a saffron backdrop. Brass oil lamps, steel bowls, plates of rice, fruit, flower petals and a kalasha sit before a large decorated deity murti of a goddess with a white floral crown and a garlanded elephant-headed figure. Two women in white saris with gold borders stand at left, hands folded in prayer. The overall scene is a devotional puja setting.

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October 05 20112011-10-05October 05 20112011-10-05A ritual puja in a temple-style room with orange-painted walls. A shaved-headed priest in white dhoti with gold borders bends forward at the centre, offering to a girl in a green blouse and red skirt seated on the floor. Beside them a girl in orange sits cross-legged, holding a flower and a small bowl, while another girl in red sits by a harp-like instrument. A white-clad figure kneels at the right. On the floor are brass plates with rice, a banana-leaf offering, a bell, a silver vessel, lamps and marigold garlands. Behind them stand a dark deity murti with garland and a large white-and-pink goddess murti with gold garland on the right. An orange cloth hangs nearby. Five-lamp brass lamps stand at the left.2011-10-05October 16 20102010-10-16 +1 copiesA night-time ritual in a decorated open pavilion with a large clay deity murti of a goddess riding a lion, adorned with white and silver decorations and flower garlands, with brass oil lamps lit in front. On the left, a shaved-headed man in white dhoti sits cross-legged before a square fire pit or homa altar with flower petals scattered around it. Behind him, several seated people in white and a standing man in white with a turban hold trays and make gestures. On the right, two standing men in saffron and orange-red robes, one with a bare chest and white body markings, join palms in reverence beside an empty cushioned chair. Hanging red and green pennants, flower decorations and twinkling lights frame the scene, with smoke rising in the background.2010-10-16A dimly lit temple shrine during a puja, with a shaven-headed priest in white dhoti and shawl raising a lit lamp on the left, while a seated priest in white with gold necklaces and bangles offers at a white marble altar strewn with flowers, brass bowls and oil lamps. Behind them, a large decorated deity murti with a crown and garland sits under an ornate canopy, flanked by smaller murtis and string lights. About six men in white clothing sit on the floor, some attending the rites.2010-10-16October 16 20102010-10-16 +1 copiesOctober 05 20112011-10-05A night-time photograph inside a decorated temple hall during a Chandi homa. In the centre, a square fire pit lined with white stone sits on a cloth-covered floor scattered with flower petals, with brass vessels and oil lamps nearby. A young man in white ritual cloth and a rudraksha-style necklace kneels at the pit. Behind, a standing man in white with a saffron-coloured cloth over the shoulder holds a brass plate, and a man in saffron robes stands beside him. On the right, a bearded sadhu in orange-red cloth with white forehead markings and a mala stands with his arms folded. Behind them is a large deity murti with a lion, framed by white decorative arches and garlands, with several children in white seated near the altar.2010-10-16October 16 20102010-10-16Indoor temple ritual before a large white-and-silver decorated shrine holding goddess murtis, including a multi-armed deity seated on a lion. Hanging string lights and red decorations surround the space. A bearded sadhu with white-painted forehead and body, wearing orange-red dhoti and rudraksha-style beads, raises one arm over a brass tray of offerings. Beside him a man in white ritual cloth with a white turban holds a tray. A devotee in white dhoti with garlands kneels at a white marble homa or puja platform scattered with petals and brass vessels, while several seated people in white clothes sit near lamps. Flower petals and incense sticks lie on the floor.2010-10-16October 16 20102010-10-16