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Close view of a ritual at a Shiva lingam covered in white paste with a red kumkum mark and green leaves, set in front of large gilded deity figures adorned with jewelled ornaments and bright garlands. At left, a figure in rust-brown and orange garments with a matching head wrap and bare upper arm holds a small lamp with a flame and a rod, performing the lighting or waving of a ritual flame. The gold-coloured deity figures wear red and gold silk, and the scene suggests an abhishekam or puja offering.

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A white-powdered shivalinga stands on a black base in the foreground, decorated with a red-and-gold vermilion mark, scattered green leaves and a red flower. Behind it, golden deity murti figures with raised gold arms wear sparkling jewelled necklaces and red-gold silk garments. On the left a robed priest with a shaved head and a red-orange cloth wrapped over one shoulder holds a lit oil lamp, performing a ritual offering. Bright garlands of yellow, red and purple flowers frame the altar. The scene suggests abhishekam and puja at a Shiva shrine.2017-02-24A photograph of a shrine during a Shiva abhishekam ritual. A long-haired figure with a swept-back black mane, wearing a rust-red wrap over bare shoulders, stands at left, pouring or touching white offering material on a white-draped linga set on a dark stone base, scattered with red flower petals. Behind is a large gold-and-silver adorned deity murti of Shiva holding a trident and a deity murti of a goddess in a red and gold sari with ornate jewelled necklaces, framed by garlands of red, yellow and purple flowers. A small figure is partly visible at lower right.2017-02-24Close view of a black Shivalinga being bathed in an abhishekam during a Maha Shivaratri ritual. A priest with long dreadlock-style hair tied with a rust-red cloth and wearing a red-brown garment and rudraksha bracelets pours from a silver vessel onto the lingam, which has a red tilak marking and a red flower offering on top. Behind them stands a golden deity murti adorned with jeweled necklaces and a bejeweled crown, wearing a red-gold brocade sari and draped in fresh flower garlands of white, yellow and orange blooms. Gold ornaments and a red silk backdrop complete the scene.2017-02-24A temple abhishekam scene before large golden deity statues of Shiva and Parvati dressed in silver and gold jewellery, garlanded with red, white and yellow flowers. A white-clad sivalinga on a black stone base is being bathed and dusted with white powder, with flowers scattered on it. In the foreground a man with long dreadlocks, a red-orange cloth wrapped around his head, and a rust-brown dhoti stands with his back to the camera, holding a ceremonial vessel. Brass oil lamps flank the frame, and a golden statue of a seated devotee with a garland stands at right. Several small devotional figurines sit on the base.2017-02-24February 24 20172017-02-24Close view of a Shiva lingam being bathed in white powder or milk-like offering, poured from a silver bowl held by a man in the left foreground. The man has long black dreadlocks, wears a rust-orange wrap and a rudraksha bracelet, and has his back to the camera. Beside him, a figure in gold and red brocade covered with sparkling crystal jewellery and ornate gold armlets stands on the right. Golden vessels and red and yellow flower garlands fill the background.2017-02-24February 24 20172017-02-24A man with long, dreadlock-like black hair wrapped in a rust-orange head cloth and an orange-saffron wrap stands at left, bare-chested with a rudraksha bead bracelet on his upper arm, sprinkling white powder onto a grey stone shivalinga. Behind him, ornate deity murtis in gold and jewelled crowns are dressed in red and gold silk with sparkling jewellery, and a lit oil lamp glows at right. The scene suggests a ritual abhishekam, with white powder covering the lingam.2017-02-24February 24 20172017-02-24February 24 20172017-02-24February 24 20172017-02-24February 24 20172017-02-24