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Photograph of a ceremonial homa or yagna inside a canopy decorated with marigold and white flower garlands. Several people in white dhotis and shirts sit on the floor around a fire pit and offering platform. One man in an orange-saffron cloth sits near the centre, tending the fire, while a younger man in a white shirt and pink-white garment assists at the left. Rows of brass oil lamps, lit diyas, and plates of fruit, flowers and coconuts cover a white cloth in front. Behind them, white stone statues of deities stand beside a red-bordered sign reading Sri Vaithiyanatha Bhagavan, and smoke fills the air. Other devotees sit at small red mats in the background.

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A photograph of a ritual yagna hall decorated with marigold and orange garlands and white hanging cloth. Several people sit on the floor in white dhotis and white shirts, one in an orange-saffron cloth, arranging offerings. A man in a white shirt and light trousers bends over a tray of brass oil lamps laid on a white cloth in rows. A white stone deity murti stands beside a red plaque on the left, another white statue sits on a pedestal at right, and a tall garland-wrapped post and tiered trays of kalasha-like offerings wrapped in leaves stand at right. Smoke fills the hall and several small oil lamps burn on red trays. The setting suggests a homa/yagna or puja.2009-01-12A decorated ritual hall lit by oil lamps and draped with orange and white marigold garlands. Several priests in white dhotis sit on the floor around a large circular arrangement of rows of small clay oil lamps, banana leaves and metal buckets of offerings. One seated man wears an orange-saffron cloth and a bare upper body. White marble statues of deities stand on pedestals, and a pink lotus-shaped seat with a green patterned base sits at right beside silver pots of fruit. Smoke hangs in the air. Printed signs in Tamil script appear near the statues. This appears to be a puja setting with abhishekam-style offerings.2009-01-12Night ritual scene under a canopy strung with orange and marigold garlands. Several men in white dhotis sit on the floor around a central fire pit, with a long row of small oil lamps, banana-leaf-lined steel buckets and offering plates in front. Behind them stand white sculptures of deities and sages, and a pink and green serpent-hooded throne stands at the right with a tray of decorated coconuts. A man in a red-orange shawl sits near the fire, and devotees sit in the background.2009-01-12A decorated ritual hall filled with marigold and orange flower garlands hanging from the ceiling and pillars. Several seated men in white dhotis and shirts perform rites on the floor, with a large row of small oil lamps arranged on a white cloth in front of them. Steel buckets covered with banana leaves and a tray of banana-leaf-wrapped offerings sit nearby. A decorated deity murti stands in an arch in the background, a fire is lit at the right, and a man in orange clothing sits among the priests. A photographer with a camera is visible at the right edge. This appears to be a puja or homa-style ceremony, with several people participating.2009-01-12A decorated ritual hall during a fire-offering ceremony. A man in white dhoti and shirt sits cross-legged on the left, and a younger priest in saffron-orange robes with a red shawl sits center-left, both attending a homa near a raised platform heaped with marigolds and wood pieces. Behind them another white-clad man sits near red-cushioned baskets, and a few more people in white are seated in the background. Rows of small oil lamps cover the floor in the foreground, alongside brass vessels, plates of flowers and offerings. Large white statues of a deity and a seated sage with garlands stand on pillars, and hanging marigold garlands frame the scene. Brass pots with mango leaves and yellow flowers sit on a white-draped table at right.2009-01-12A ritual gathering under a canopy decorated with orange and marigold garlands and strings of lights, with a golden Ganesha murti at the right. In the foreground, a long-haired figure in orange robes sits with their back to the camera, facing the scene. A standing priest in orange robes and beads holds a ritual item near a central altar piled with marigold garlands, fruit, plates of offerings and brass vessels. Seated devotees in white dhotis and saris, some in orange, press their palms together in prayer. Smoke and an oil lamp are visible, and a white-clad helper stands behind the altar. The setting suggests a puja or aarti in progress.2009-01-12January 12 20092009-01-12January 12 20092009-01-12January 12 20092009-01-12A night-time puja in a marigold-decorated pavilion hung with orange and white flower garlands and string lights. A man in an orange robe stands at centre holding a lit oil lamp aloft during aarti. In the foreground a figure with long dark hair sits cross-legged in a red-orange robe, seen from behind. Around a low platform of fruit, coconuts, sweets and offerings, devotees in white dhotis and white shirts sit with hands joined in prayer. Ganesha images in white stone flank the pavilion, and incense smoke rises in the air.2009-01-12A night ritual in a marigold-decorated pandal hung with orange and white flower garlands. A standing man in saffron-orange robes, with rudraksha beads and a gold chain, raises a ritual object above a central fire pit and offering platter. Seated men and women in white dhotis and saris with folded hands face the fire; a woman in orange and a man in orange sit nearby. Brass pots of fruit and flower offerings and banana-leaf plates line the foreground. A white deity murti stands at the back right. In the left foreground, a figure with long dark hair in orange robes sits with back to the camera. The scene is a homa or puja with smoke rising, lit by warm lamps.2009-01-12A photograph of an evening puja inside a marigold-decorated temple pavilion. A standing man in an orange-saffron dhoti and shawl holds a brass tray of burning camphor flames aloft. Seated on the ground in white dhotis, a priest tends a fire pit and oil lamps (diyas) near a marigold-garlanded altar. Behind them, a seated man in saffron clothing with a rudraksha mala presides over a row of devotees. Golden-yellow sculptures of deities stand in arched niches, and a tray of conical sweet offerings sits on a white-draped table at right. Orange and yellow flower garlands hang from the ceiling, and smoke rises through the lamplit scene.2009-01-12