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Outdoor Pongal ceremony under a thatched shelter at an ashram. Two clay pots decorated with white lines and flower garlands sit on brick hearths with burning firewood, framed by sugarcane stalks tied into tripods with leaves. Around them, women in orange and red saris stand with hands folded in prayer, and a few men in orange dhotis and shawls stand nearby. White kolam rangoli designs cover the ground, with red mats laid out and a dry-leaf bundle at the edge.

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Pongal celebration under an open thatched shelter at an ashram. Two clay pots with white patterns sit on brick hearths ringed with yellow and red flower garlands, with fire burning beneath them. Sugarcane stalks are tied into arches above the pots. Women in saffron-orange and red-pink saris and a teal sari stand with palms pressed together in prayer, and a bare-chested man in orange dhoti and rudraksha mala raises his arms beside the fire. Red mats and white rangoli kolam patterns cover the ground. Several people are visible, and a cameraman films at the right edge.2018-01-14January 14 20182018-01-14Outdoor Pongal ritual under a thatched shelter. Two clay pots decorated with white patterns and yellow-and-red marigold garlands sit on brick hearths; one hearth has a lit fire boiling over. Sugarcane stalks with leaves are tied in tall arches above the pots. Women in red, maroon, pink and blue saris stand with hands folded, while men and women in saffron-orange robes stand nearby; one man in orange cloth stands bare-chested pouring or stirring near the fire, and a woman in orange and red holds a camera. White kolam designs decorate the ground, and a red carpet runs along the floor.2018-01-14A Pongal ritual outdoors under a thatched shelter where a shaved-headed priest in saffron-orange cloth stands bare-chested with sandalwood markings, facing two clay pots decorated with white patterns and garlanded with yellow and red flowers. Fire burns from a pot set on bricks, with sugarcane stalks tied into a frame above. Women in red, orange, pink and green saris stand around with hands joined, one holding a vessel, while seated women in orange and saffron sit on a red mat in the background.2018-01-14January 14 20182018-01-14January 14 20182018-01-14Outdoor Pongal celebration under a thatched canopy hung with sugarcane stalks and palm leaves. Two clay pots decorated with white painted patterns and marigold garlands sit over brick hearths, with flames rising from the right pot as women tend the fire and carry brass plates. A standing man in orange ochre cloth stands behind the left pot, bare-chested with a rudraksha mala, a bundle of firewood nearby. Other women wear saffron, purple, teal and red saris, and a row of saffron-robed sannyasis sits on mats in the background beside kolam designs on the ground.2018-01-14Outdoor Pongal celebration under a shaded tin roof at a rural ashram. Women in saffron and red saris and a teal sari stand on a red carpet and kolam-decorated ground while a woman in a teal sari pours milk from a brass vessel into a clay pot boiling over a brick fire. Marigold garlands are wound around the pots and the hearth, and sugarcane stalks stand beside them. Another clay pot boils over a second hearth to the right, and a cameraman in saffron robes with a rudraksha mala films at the right edge. Rangoli patterns cover the floor.2018-01-14A woman in a teal blue sari with a gold border kneels at a clay pot set over a brick stove, pouring milk from a metal vessel as the pot boils over. Flames burn beneath the pot, and yellow and red marigold garlands ring the stove on a kolam-decorated floor. Sugarcane stalks frame the scene. Behind her, a row of women in orange and red saris stand holding flower baskets and offerings under a thatched shelter, while a tiered seat draped in red fabric and a row of seated attendees appear at the back. This is a Pongal cooking ritual with a kalasha-style pot.2018-01-14A Pongal celebration at an open-air pavilion with a sandy floor decorated with white kolam rangoli designs. A woman in a teal blue sari with gold blouse pours milk from a brass vessel into a clay pot placed over a brick fireplace where flames burn; the pot is wreathed with yellow flower garlands and decorated with white painted patterns. Sugarcane stalks are tied over the pots. Beside her, another fire burns in a brick hearth ringed by marigold garlands, with a second pot. Surrounding women wear red, maroon, pink and orange saris and white clothing, and several robed sannyasis in saffron and orange stand on the right, one holding a camera. Bundles of firewood and a red mat lie on the ground.2018-01-14January 15 20162016-01-15A woman in an orange sari with a white forehead mark and red bindi tends a yellow clay pot on a brick hearth, the pot topped with a green leaf and a flame burning beneath it, as is typical of a Pongal boiling ritual. Sugarcane stalks stand on either side of the pot, and a basket of dry plant material sits at lower left. Behind her, several people in orange and white robes stand with hands folded, and a colourful kolam floor design is visible. A red pillar frames the right edge. Visible people: about five, mostly in orange and white attire.2016-01-15