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Night ritual before a large white deity murti of a goddess with multiple arms, adorned with yellow marigold garlands, beside smaller murtis including an elephant-headed deity and a lion. Two priests in rust-red dhotis stand at left, one holding a lit flame, while a man in white dhoti stands behind them. A sacred fire or smoke rises before a low wooden platform with oil lamps, brass vessels and a red-and-blue cloth. A seated devotee with a bare back and beads bows in the foreground. A small tangle of dried leaves hangs overhead and the scene is dimly lit.

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A night-time photograph of a Navaratri-style puja under a corrugated shelter. A large clay deity murti with white and red garlands, and several smaller figures including a lion and an elephant-headed figure, is decorated on the right. In the centre, a standing priest in orange-and-gold dhoti and shawl performs a homa at a bright fire pit with brass vessels and offerings. Beside him, a man in white dhoti with gold border folds his hands in prayer. On the left, a seated figure in orange-and-red robes with a rudraksha mala sits on an orange chair, with another figure in white standing nearby. Brass lamps and flower garlands surround the altar, and strings of dried leaves hang overhead.2014-10-02October 02 20142014-10-02Night-time puja before a large white-and-gold murti of goddess Durga with multiple arms, seated on a lion/tiger mount, adorned with yellow marigold garlands and a red cloth-draped platform. Two priests in white dhoti and shawls attend the altar: one standing at left, and one seated bare-chested in a reddish-orange cloth, facing the deity with an oil lamp burning on the stone platform. Brass vessels, flowers, and a small lamp sit at the front. A framed portrait of a figure in orange hangs at far left. The priests appear to be conducting an aarti or puja.2014-10-02A night-time puja in an open pavilion with a corrugated roof. On the right, large white clay deity murtis of a multi-armed goddess and companion figures stand on a red-draped platform, adorned with white garlands, a lion mount and a weapon held aloft. In the centre, several priests in white dhotis and orange-red shawls attend a fire pit, one holding a red cloth over the flames. A man in the foreground wearing a rudraksha mala sits before a tray of dried red chillies and oil lamps on a striped cloth. No figure clearly matches the a person description, so the candidates are priests only.2014-10-02A photograph of an outdoor night puja at a covered open-air shrine. A priest in saffron-orange dress sits cross-legged on a raised stone platform at left, with white markings on his arms and forehead, performing worship with brass vessels and oil lamps before him. Behind him stands a large white-and-gold Durga-style deity murti with multiple arms, flanked by smaller figures, a lion mount, garlands of marigolds and a red cloth draped over a carved altar. A second person in white stands near the left edge and a camera operator in white is at right, making three visible people. Pink lotus flowers and yellow flower garlands lie at the foot of the altar.2014-10-02Night ritual at a temple hall: a fire pit with a flame and smoke is in front of a decorated deity murti of Durga-like form with multiple arms, white and pink clothing, garlands and a lion mount. A priest in white dhoti with gold border sits cross-legged at the fire, with brass vessels and an oil lamp nearby. A standing priest in orange-red dhoti and a seated figure in red-orange robes on an orange chair face the fire, with a striped mat and hanging leaf and flower garlands overhead. Homa or yagna in progress.2014-10-02October 02 20142014-10-02October 02 20142014-10-02Photo 11689590October 02 20142014-10-02Night photograph of a temple ritual beside a lit fire pit. Several men stand near a flaming homa or yagna fire on a raised stone platform covered by a striped cloth. The central man wears a white dhoti and holds his hands together in prayer, while a man in a red-and-orange cloth and rudraksha garland holds a plate at left. Behind the fire stands a dark deity murti decorated with orange garlands, and at right a large white-and-gold decorated deity image with multiple figures and marigold garlands is set on a red-covered platform. Offerings of dried red flowers or kumkum sit on the cloth, and a man in white kneels at the far right. Leafy festoons hang overhead beneath a corrugated roof.2014-10-02A priest in white dhoti with a bare upper body and a gold chain sits cross-legged on a mat before a square white marble homa fire pit, holding a ladle or spoon over it. Behind the pit stands a large deity murti of Durga, with multiple arms holding weapons, riding a lion, framed by white lace-like arches and flanked by smaller murtis of Ganesha and other deities. Brass lamps, a kalasha, bowls and a tray of offerings sit on red cloth. Strings of small lights and red-and-gold hangings decorate the hall, and smoke rises through the scene. Another white-clad priest sits at right, and a few more devotees are partly visible in the background.2010-10-12