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A priest in white ritual clothing with a rudraksha mala around his neck pours white granular offering from a brass plate onto a dark stone shivalinga. A heap of white rice-like offering surrounds the base of the linga. To the right, a deity murti wears an orange and gold garment and a teal skirt, with bare gold-toned feet visible. The setting is nighttime with a dark background and red fabric hangings.

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A photograph of an annabishekam ritual centred on a dark black stone shivalinga on a square base, heaped with white cooked rice. A priest in white dhoti and a bare upper torso with a purple sacred mark on the shoulder places his hand on the linga, pressing rice onto it. Behind the linga is a seated deity murti with bare painted feet, dressed in orange and red silk with gold border. A purple and teal draped platform frames the scene.2011-11-10Night-time photograph of an annabhishegam ritual at a stone temple. A large black stone pedestal holds a heap of cooked white rice and a darker brown paste, piled over a tall lingam-shaped stone. A man in an orange sannyasi-style shawl with a rudraksha mala stands at left, his head shaven with a white tilak on his forehead. At right, a person in a white shirt and gold-bordered dhoti with a red and gold border, wearing gold bangles and a ring, pours or pats offerings onto the lingam. Carved stone architecture is visible above.2007-10-25A priest in saffron-orange robes with a purple and white tilak on his forehead pours cooked white rice from a round metal vessel onto a dark stone Shiva lingam set in a stone yoni basin. Grains of rice scatter and cover the basin around the lingam, as part of an annabhishegam offering. To the right, a bronze deity murti with an ornate foot wears a white dhoti with red and gold border. A second person in white clothing stands in the background, partly visible.2007-10-25A photograph of an annabhishekam at a temple shrine. A tall dark stone shivalinga stands on a black base, topped with white cooked rice that has been heaped over its crown. A priest in white dhoti with a silver bracelet has his bare arm and hand pressed against the linga, shaping the rice. A large mound of white rice fills the foreground. Behind the linga, a gold-and-red silk cloth with purple and teal drapery hangs, and ornate gold carved pillar work frames the right side.2011-11-10A temple priest in an orange saffron dhoti and shawl pours white cooked rice from a copper vessel over a dark stone Shiva lingam set in a grey carved stone yoni pedestal. The rice covers the lingam and spreads across the base in a heap, marking an annadan-style annabhishekam offering. A standing golden deity murti with a red-jewelled crown and a figure in white and maroon ritual clothing with gold border appear at the right. A priest with a white tilak on his forehead performs the offering. The background is dark with carved stone pillars.2007-10-25A temple abhishekam scene at a large stone shivalinga set in a dark stone basin. A priest in an orange-saffron garment with a bare upper arm and a gold bangle pours white powder from a golden vessel onto the top of the lingam, and the powder spills in a bright cloud down its sides. A second priest in white clothes with a red-and-gold bordered cloth sits or bends behind the lingam, with a bronze foot visible at right. Carved stone pillars and ornate stone relief fill the background. Water and white ash collect on the pedestal.2007-10-25A temple ritual photograph of an annabhishegam offering. A priest in an orange-saffron dhoti and shawl, with a white tilak on his forehead, pours from a copper vessel over a dark stone Shivalinga on a black stone yoni pedestal, which is heaped with white cooked rice. Another priest in white dhoti with a red-bordered cloth and a rudraksha mala stands at left holding a copper pot of rice. A third attendant in white sits at far left beside brass vessels. Behind them a deity murti in a purple garment with gold border and orange floral garland sits on a stone platform. The floor is wet and dotted with rice grains.2007-10-25A photograph of a temple ritual at a stone shivalinga on a circular yoni-peetha base, where a priest in orange robes and a rudraksha mala pours white powder from a large brass plate onto the stone lingam, which is already dusted with white. Powder spills onto the base and floor. To the right, a young man in white dhoti and kurta with an orange sash and a rudraksha mala and a white tilak on his forehead stands with hands clasped, observing. Another attendant in white stands behind the priest.2007-10-25A temple ritual in which a young priest in an orange saffron cloth with a white tilak on his forehead pours white rice grains from a copper vessel onto a dark stone Shivalinga. Grains scatter across the stone and the base. Behind him, a second priest in white dhoti and white shirt holds a copper pot of rice, and a third figure in white stands nearby. At right, a large deity murti in a purple and gold garment with gold trim and jewellery sits on a golden pedestal. A man in white with a rudraksha mala stands at left. The scene appears to be an annabhishekam offering of rice to the lingam.2007-10-25A priest in orange robes pours white rice flakes or powder from a large gold-rimmed brass plate over a tall brown Shivalingam set in a stone yoni pedestal, during an annabhishegam offering. Powder spills over the lingam and pedestal. Another man in white dhoti and shirt with an orange cloth stands behind, and a young man in white with a rudraksha mala and tilak stands at right. Grey carved stone pillar at left and a small oil lamp on the floor.2007-10-25A ritual photograph of a white-coated linga or Shiva murti being anointed with white powder poured from a round silver plate. A bare-chested priest in a rust-red dhoti and wrap, with rudraksha malas and beaded bracelets, pours from the left while a second priest in an orange-red cloth stands beside him. To the right, a figure in an ornate gold-and-red brocade costume with jewelled shoulder pieces and a gold belt holds the plate. A lit oil lamp sits at the lower right and the background is decorated with flower garlands.2017-02-24A photograph of an annabhishekam ritual inside a temple at night. A priest in a saffron-orange robe with a white tilak on his forehead pours cooked white rice from a copper vessel over a dark stone shivalinga set on a black stone yoni pedestal. Rice grains scatter across the pedestal and the floor. Behind him stands a second man in white dhoti and shirt with an orange waist cloth and a rudraksha mala. To the right, a deity murti in a maroon and gold garment with a red crown and a large pearl necklace sits beside the lingam, and a blue draped backdrop with gold trim hangs behind it. A golden standing figure is visible at the left edge.2007-10-25