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Night outdoor ritual at a temple-like courtyard. Three priests stand in front, the nearest holding a gold kalasha-style vessel and a bell, wearing white dhotis and shawls with red-and-cream borders; the middle figure wears a white garment with orange-gold edging. Behind them, a large crowd of seated devotees, mostly in white clothes, sits in rows behind a rope barrier. Brass oil lamps and ritual vessels are arranged on the floor, and strings of small lights and a street lamp are visible in the dark background. A fire pit with burning embers is in the lower right foreground.

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Night ritual at an outdoor temple-style ground with a large dark tree behind and string lights and lamps along the edges. Two men in white dhotis, one with yellow and red border, stand holding brass bells and vessels, one with a bare shaved head and white shawl with red stripes. Seated rows of white-clad devotees, many in white, fill the foreground, with brass lamps and oil lamps on the floor and a wooden stand nearby.2011-04-17Night outdoor ritual at an open ground. Two priests in white dhotis and white shawls with red-and-cream borders stand at a raised stone platform, holding brass bells and lamps. The foreground priest is shaved-headed with white sacred markings on his arms. A brass lamp stand with lit oil lamps sits near the platform steps, and brass vessels are on the ground. A large crowd of seated devotees, many women in saffron and orange saris, fills the background under strings of small lights and white pillars.2011-04-17Night outdoor ceremony at Tiruvannamalai Adheenam with a large seated crowd filling the foreground. Several shaven-headed priests in white dhotis, some bare-chested with sacred ash marks, stand on a raised platform holding flaming oil lamps and aarti plates, a row of small lamps glowing along the back. Devotees in white and colourful saris sit with hands folded in namaskar. A street lamp glows at left and a white rope runs across the scene. Ritual aarti being performed at dusk.2011-04-17April 17 20112011-04-17Night outdoor ritual at a temple-like courtyard with dim lamps and dark trees behind. Two shaven-headed priests in white dhotis and shawls stand on a sandy floor, holding small silver bells in their right hands; the nearer priest has a red-and-white-bordered shawl and white sacred marks on his upper body, while the other wears a white dhoti with a yellow border and an orange cloth at the waist. Brass oil lamps and ritual vessels are arranged on mats before them, and a seated woman in a red sari sits among them. Several dozen devotees in white sit on the ground in rows behind, along with women in saris and children in the foreground, watching the rite. Electric lamps and a flame-lit lamp stand near the seating area.2011-04-17Night outdoor aarti at a Tiruvannamalai ashram ground. Two priests in white dhotis stand at the front holding lit oil lamps aloft; the nearer priest, bare-chested with a white and red-bordered shawl over his shoulder, lifts a flaming lamp in one hand and a small bell in the other. Several gold ritual lamps and brass vessels rest on a platform before them. A large seated crowl of devotees in white clothes fills the ground, with string lights and a few street lamps glowing in the dark background.2011-04-17Night outdoor ceremony at a temple-like open courtyard lit by a few electric lamps and a string of small lights. Two priests in white dhotis and shawls with red-bordered cloth stand at the right and centre, each holding a lit brass aarti lamp aloft, a classic aarti offering. The foreground priest is bare-chested with white and red sacred marks on his arm. Rows of white-clad seated devotees fill the right and background, with a large crowd beyond. Along the left, a raised platform with white pillars holds garlanded deity murtis and a row of offerings. Dark trees form the backdrop, and a small lit oil lamp sits on the ground in front of the platform.2011-04-17April 17 20112011-04-17Night outdoor ritual at an open ground. In the foreground a shaven-headed priest in white dhoti with red-bordered shawl raises a multi-wick oil lamp (aarti) with flames, while a second priest in white with an orange-red waist cloth holds a lamp further back. Brass ritual implements and a small brass lamp sit on mats in front of them. Rows of seated devotees in white and colourful saris fill the ground, with white pillars and yellow-and-black marked seating blocks to the left. Strings of small lights glow in the background, and the scene is lit by the lamp flames.2011-04-17April 17 20112011-04-17April 17 20112011-04-17April 17 20112011-04-17