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Photo of a ceremonial blessing at an indoor event. A man with long dreadlocked hair and a short beard, wearing a rust-red shawl over his bare shoulder, places his right hand on the head of a kneeling devotee whose head is wrapped in a white cloth band. The devotee is bare-chested with a white dhoti and a white-and-gold cloth, wearing a cord necklace and a rudraksha-style bead mala, bending forward with his hands joined at the chest. Behind them stand other devotees in orange and saffron cloths, white dhotis and white head bands, and a tall silver ceremonial staff rises in the centre. The dreadlocked figure's clothing and shoulder wrap are rust-red, and the setting appears to be a stage backdrop in dark red.

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April 08 20182018-04-08Indoor ritual scene. A man seated on a leopard-print cushion, with long dreadlocked hair, a thin gold necklace, a red-orange shawl over bare shoulders, and a red bracelet, raises his right hand toward the head of a young man standing before him. The young man is bare-chested, wears white dhoti cloth and a white cloth tied over his eyes, and his head is bowed. Nearby, another figure in red-orange garments and a white wrap stands behind a tall ornate silver staff. A carved stone or wooden figure stands at the right edge, and an air conditioning unit is on the wall behind. The seated man appears to be a person by his dreadlocks, gold necklace and orange shawl, shown in an act of blessing.2018-04-04 +1 copiesPhotograph of a ritual initiation scene in a hall. A bare-chested man with a white cloth blindfold tied over his eyes and a white dhoti stands with his hands pressed together at his chest, bowing forward. Behind him a young man with a vertical tilak on his forehead and long dreadlocked hair, wearing an orange cloth, rudraksha beads and a neck pendant, supports him by the shoulders. On the right, a bearded man with long matted hair wrapped with rudraksha beads, wearing an orange shawl, rudraksha bracelets and gold earrings, extends his hand toward the blindfolded man. A tall silver ceremonial staff stands between them. Other people in orange and white robes are blurred in the background.2018-03-04April 01 20182018-04-01 +1 copiesApril 01 20182018-04-01 +1 copiesA photograph of a ceremonial blessing on a stage with a deep blue starry backdrop. A seated man with long dreadlocked hair wrapped in a rudraksha band, wearing orange-red robes, multiple rudraksha malas and a gold necklace, has his hand raised to the forehead of a bare-chested, white-sashed devotee kneeling before him, a moment of transmission. A second orange-clad attendant stands at left with a hand on the kneeling man's shoulder, and a third person in a pink-and-yellow turban and beaded necklaces stands behind. a person is the seated figure, based on the dreadlocks, rudraksha malas and saffron robes; the kneeling devotee receives the blessing. A white ornate throne is visible at right, and a partial figure in orange occupies the right edge.2018-04-15A night-time blessing scene on a raised platform. A man in a red-brown dhoti with a long beaded mala and gold ornaments stands with his palm on the head of a bare-chested devotee bowing forward, whose white sacred ash shows on his forehead. A silver-ornate chair with red cushion sits behind them. A figure in white with rudraksha beads and an orange-clad attendant stand at the left edge. Gesture is a touch of blessing, a darshan moment. a person candidate has long swept-back hair, beaded malas and gold ornaments, but appearance is not distinctive enough to confirm identity, so role is given as blessing giver.2017-10-15Photograph of a ritual initiation at an ashram hall. In the foreground a bare-chested devotee with a white cloth tied over his eyes, wearing a small pendant on a cord, bows his head while a long-haired figure in a rust-orange wrap and gold bangles places a hand on his head. Beside them stands a bearded man with a red bindi, bare-chested and wearing a brown rudraksha-style mala, watching. Other men stand softly blurred in the background. Warm, low-light setting, consistent with a shiva deeksha blessing. a person candidate: the long-haired figure in orange-rust wrap, gold bangles and braided hair shows several cues but the face is not clearly visible, so identity is uncertain.2017-05-10A photo of a shiva deeksha initiation in a hall with a maroon curtain behind. A bare-chested male initiate with a white cloth tied over his eyes bows forward while two robed attendants steady him; one holds his shoulder and another supports his waist. On the right, a man with a tall braided topknot, rudraksha beads on the head and arms, a beard, gold earrings and a silver armlet raises his hand toward the initiate's head. Beside him stands a silver trident-topped staff. Another attendant wears an orange cloth, rudraksha malas and a white tilak. The setting suggests a ritual initiation rite.2018-03-04A diksha initiation scene in a hall with a red curtain backdrop. A bearded man with long swept-back dark hair, a gold necklace, a saffron-orange shawl and gold armbands sits at right, raising his hand in blessing toward a kneeling initiate. The initiate, bare-chested with white sandalwood markings on his arms and a white cloth band across his eyes, wears a white dhoti with gold border and a rudraksha mala. A second man in a white dhoti with gold border and a long rudraksha mala supports the initiate's shoulder. Several other shirtless men in white dhotis, some with eyes covered by white bands, stand behind them. A gold-fitted wooden stand with flowers sits at right, and a white air conditioner is visible at top right.2017-04-26March 11 20172017-03-11March 04 20182018-03-04