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Evening puja at a decorated outdoor shrine lit with strings of small lamps. On a raised red-and-white striped platform, a shaved-headed priest in a saffron-orange robe sits at the centre, playing a small handheld instrument, flanked by two men in white with yellow shawls. Behind them stands a framed portrait garlanded with marigolds, beside an ornate golden throne-like seat. Women in white saris and a girl in pink sit on the floor in the foreground, many with small red trays holding lit oil lamps. A few people in white sit further back. Nightlights and greenery frame the scene.

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December 30 20092009-12-30A dimly lit evening ritual in an open hall with green-tinted light and haze. A man in orange robes and a rudraksha mala sits at a raised altar with a brass lamp and ritual items, facing a framed portrait draped in marigold garlands. Many seated devotees in white and pastel clothing, mostly with dark hair, sit on red and white carpets in rows before the altar. Kumkum and small oil lamps are visible at the front. The scene is a puja or satsang with devotees gathered in prayer.2009-12-30Night photo of a large outdoor ritual gathering at an ashram courtyard. Dozens of people in white clothing, including women in white saris and men in white shirts, sit on the ground in rows behind red trays holding oil lamps, small plates and offerings. A saffron-robed figure stands at a raised white and red striped platform, with a framed portrait and a deity image beside them, facing the assembly. Strings of fairy lights decorate the white building behind, and smoke rises near the platform. Several participants are visible in the foreground, while the rear rows are partly obscured. Overall a group puja or aarti with oil lamps.2009-12-30December 30 20092009-12-30Evening outdoor ceremony at Sri Ananda Temple, with white fairy lights strung along the roofline and a garlanded central shrine. A framed portrait of a smiling saffron-robed figure with an orange turban sits on a decorated stand in front, and a picture is shown on the right banner panel. A robed priest in orange sits on a raised platform beside the lit shrine, while about two dozen devotees in white clothes, some in pink or orange saris, sit cross-legged on the ground holding offering trays with oil lamps and flowers. Flames burn in small red lamps in the foreground. Flanking the stage are deity murtis, and an ornate golden throne with red cushions stands at the right.2009-12-30December 22 20102010-12-22December 30 20092009-12-30December 30 20092009-12-30December 30 20092009-12-30Evening puja inside a lit temple-style hall. On a raised platform with white-and-red striped skirting, a framed portrait of a seated figure in orange-red robes with a yellow-and-orange garland sits on a marble-stepped pedestal. To its left a seated man in saffron-orange robes faces the altar. A golden deity murti stands in an ornate shrine at upper left, a dark stone figure with garland is at right, and an ornate green-and-gold throne stands beside it. Strings of fairy lights hang behind. Five to seven women in white and yellow saris sit on the floor in the foreground, facing the altar with oil lamps and offering plates before them.2009-12-30December 30 20092009-12-30Night outdoor ritual at an ashram courtyard. Dozens of people sit in rows on the ground before red-striped low platforms holding red trays with oil lamps, flowers and food offerings. Near the front, a man in a saffron-orange robe and white-robed assistants sit at a long altar. A framed portrait garlanded with yellow and orange flowers sits on the right, a deity murti is at the far left, and strings of lights decorate the white building behind. Many attendees wear white traditional clothing, with women in saris and men in white shirts and dhotis. Several participants hold brass plates and lamps for a puja.2009-12-30