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A photograph of a ceremonial initiation scene. A seated man in red and maroon robes with a rudraksha mala and long dark hair holds a silver trident aloft, smiling, seated on an ornate gold throne with a microphone in front. Before him a bald man in a white dhoti with a gold border kneels with palms pressed together in namaskar, wearing a rudraksha bracelet. Other saffron-robed ascetics sit in the background, one with matted hair. Red folded cloth rests on the throne arm.

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April 22 20162016-04-22A photograph of a ceremonial initiation on a stage. A seated man in red-orange robes with long swept-back dark hair and a brown-beaded rudraksha mala over his shoulder holds a silver trident-tipped staff against the forehead of a shaved-headed initiate kneeling in a white garment with gold trim. Behind him is an ornate gold throne with carved details. On the left, a man with a tall dark topknot and red robes with a rudraksha mala watches. A woman in white with gold trim sits in the background. Red cloth lies on the armrest, and a microphone is visible at the right edge.2016-04-22April 22 20162016-04-22April 22 20162016-04-22A photograph of a ceremonial initiation on a stage. A seated man in red robes with long swept-back dark hair, rudraksha malas draped over his shoulders and across his chest, raises a tall silver trident-shaped staff with his right hand and places his left hand on the shaved head of a kneeling initiate. The initiate wears a white garment with a gold border, layered rudraksha and gold-beaded necklaces, rudraksha bracelets, and white sacred ash marks on his arm and shoulder. Behind them, a woman in a white garment with a red-brown shawl and another shaved-headed person are partly visible, and an ornate gold throne-like backdrop stands at the right.2016-04-22April 22 20162016-04-22May 21 20162016-05-21A photograph of a ceremonial exchange on a raised dais at a Kumbh Mela event. A bald man in white dhoti and striped sash, with white ash markings on his arms, raises his palm toward a figure seated on a throne-like seat. That seated figure wears a red robe, a thick rudraksha mala across the shoulders, and long dreadlocked hair, and holds a tall silver staff topped with a round disc. Behind them a third person in dark-red robes sits partly visible, and a cameraman in white at the left films the scene. A camera-style frame is not present; the image is a candid photo of the ritual.2016-04-22April 22 20162016-04-22May 21 20162016-05-21April 22 20162016-04-22August 01 20142014-08-01