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Night photo at a stepped sacred pond during a Rudrabhishekam ritual. A bearded man in a rust-red turban and leopard-print sarong with a gold-bead necklace walks down the steps with his arm raised in blessing, while a second man in a white dhoti with gold border and an orange cloth bag walks beside him. Along the steps, rows of black Shiva lingas sit with brass pots and oil lamps. Crowds in saffron, white and green saris line the tiers with palms pressed together in namaskar, and strings of lights run along the wall above. Whether the turbaned figure is a person is uncertain from appearance alone.

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Night photo of a large outdoor Rudrabhishekam ritual at a stepped stone platform lined with rows of black Shiva lingams and brass pots. In the left foreground, a bearded priest in a white dhoti with gold border and a red-orange turban and sacred bead garland walks down the steps carrying an orange vessel. Beside him, a bearded man in white, a figure bowing low among the lingams, and a line of people with palms pressed together in namaskar stand along the steps. Many devotees in white, saffron and green saris and dhotis watch from the steps under strings of lights.2016-12-08Night photograph of an outdoor stepped ghat-like platform lined with many black Shiva lingams and brass pots, with strings of lights along the upper wall. Two men in the foreground walk down the steps: the left one wears a white dhoti with gold border and carries an orange cloth bag, and the centre one wears an orange-red turban, rudraksha-style bead garland, and a leopard-print wrap over a maroon dhoti. A bare-chested man on the right in a white dhoti sits with palms joined. Behind them, a large crowd of devotees stands with hands folded in namaskar, some in saris, salwar and white dhotis.2016-12-08December 08 20162016-12-08December 08 20162016-12-08Night outdoor ritual at the Vaidya Sarovar healing pond, with rows of black Shiva lingas arranged on red-brick tiered steps and small brass vessels set among them. A bearded man in a saffron-orange turban and a long orange-brown patterned robe with a yellow-orange kalasha-style vessel nearby walks down the steps beside a man in a white dhoti with gold border holding a bright orange pot. On the right, a bare-chested man in a white dhoti bends forward over the lingas, while a crowd of devotees in white dhotis, saris and colourful dresses stands on the terraces with hands folded in namaste, under strings of lights. The scene shows a Rudrabhishekam ritual.2016-12-08December 08 20162016-12-08Night photo of an outdoor ritual on tiered red stone steps lined with black Shiva lingams and brass pots, strung with orange lights and red flags. A bearded man in an orange turban, rudraksha-style garland, and a leopard-print brown wrap walks down the steps in the centre, flanked by a man in white dhoti with a gold-bordered shawl carrying an orange bag. Behind them, many devotees stand with hands in anjali, including women in colourful saris and salwar kameez and men in white kurta-dhotis. A bare-chested priest in white dhoti holds his palms together on the right, and a man in glasses and pale yellow shirt with white trousers stands with hands folded at right. The setting suggests a Rudrabhishekam ritual with lingams arranged in sacred formation.2016-12-08Night-time photo of a Rudrabhishekam ritual at the Vaidya Sarovar healing pond. On red-tiered steps lined with black Shiva lingas, brass pots and bells, a crowd of devotees stands and sits with palms joined in prayer; one woman in a dark patterned top and necklace looks upward with hands folded, and another in white stands nearby. Strings of lights run along the wall above. In the foreground, a bearded man in white dhoti with gold border carries an orange vessel down the steps, and beside him a man in a red turban, leopard-print cloth and garland walks with a stick. Many people are visible in the crowd, with a bare-chested man sitting on the steps.2016-12-08December 08 20162016-12-08December 08 20162016-12-08Night ritual at a stepped tank ghat with a crowd of devotees standing on the terraced steps, many with palms pressed together in namaskar. In the foreground, a man in a dark red-brown dhoti-style garment and a heavy yellow-gold ceremonial necklace walks toward the camera wearing a maroon turban with a white flower ornament, while a bearded attendant in white dhoti and shawl with striped border walks at left. Red ceremonial flags stand along the steps, and dark stone kalasha-like vessels line the right edge near the water. A camera on a tripod is visible at left. The scene appears to be a Rudrabhishekam-related gathering at the sacred pool.2016-12-08Night photo of a lakeside stone-stepped ghat during a Rudrabhishekam ritual. A bearded man with long hair, a red-orange turban, a saffron-brown cloth wrap and a yellow-orange beaded garland stands on the steps, a candidate appearance-based a person given his distinctive turban, long hair and ornate garland; he is paired with a second man in a white dhoti and shawl with gold border, who holds a small orange cloth bundle. Behind them a crowd stands on the red-tiled steps, many with palms pressed together in namaskar, women in pink, purple and yellow saris and children among them. Strings of lights, red flags and a trident-shaped decoration line the upper tier under floodlights, with a photographer in white kneeling at the right edge.2016-12-08