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A ritual gathering on bare ground under a decorated pavilion. In the foreground, an elderly man with white hair and white forehead markings, wearing a green shawl with a rosette and purple border, sits before a microphone stand, apparently reciting or chanting. Around a small square fire pit with brick-and-white borders, about a dozen bare-chested young men sit cross-legged in pink and green dhotis, some with sacred thread and rudraksha malas, many with white and ash markings on their bodies. Behind them, large deity murti with yellow garments and ornaments are displayed, one with a green face and crown, and a kalasha and marigold garlands decorate the platform. Brass lamps and bowls sit on the ground in front of the group.

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January 12 20152015-01-12January 13 20152015-01-13January 12 20152015-01-12A large open-sided pandal with a corrugated roof and banana plants shows a ritual in progress on bare ground. On the left, a decorated altar with garlands and a deity murti is attended by priests in pink and magenta dhotis. Men in green and orange cloths sit in rows on the ground, some with bare upper bodies, and a yellow basin with offerings and baskets lies in front. On the right, a standing man with white-painted face and bare chest in white dhoti and ornate necklaces tends the ritual, with a microphone on a stand in the foreground. Behind the pandal, rows of seated devotees in white are visible under a striped canopy, consistent with a puja or yagna gathering.2015-01-13Outdoor ritual yagna under a tarpaulin canopy with yellow and red drapery and banana leaves. Several shirtless men in dhotis are seated on the ground, some in pink and some in green clothing with white vibhuti marks, near a decorated kalasha-style setup and a flower-garlanded deity murti with green face and large crown on the left. A standing man in a pink dhoti and a gold-coloured sash carries a plate of offerings, and a man in yellow dhoti with a purple shawl stands in the foreground. Oil lamps and flower garlands sit on the raised platform, with a yellow-and-pink-clad priest nearby. No figure is clearly identifiable as a person from appearance.2015-01-12January 13 20152015-01-13January 12 20152015-01-12Outdoor ritual in progress beside a square fire pit (homa/yagna kund) with white and blue painted rims. Several priests sit on an orange cloth in pink and yellow dhotis and pink shawls, with white tripundra marks on their foreheads and arms. The man at right holds a microphone and chants, while another priest in yellow pours or stirs offerings. Brass plates hold flower garlands, pink and yellow flowers, betel leaves, fruit, coconut and small bowls of kumkum and vibhuti. Two brass oil lamps (deepas) with lit wicks sit near the pit. Behind them, large colourful deity murti figures, with garlands of yellow flowers, stand in a decorated shrine. Devotees in green and white sit further back behind a metal barrier. A small basket of white grains sits in the lower left.2015-01-12A large open-air tent ceremony with a sandy floor, where many priests in green and yellow ceremonial clothing and orange-striped headwraps sit or stand around a rectangular homa fire pit lined with white and red rims and scattered marigold flowers. Several bare-chested men in pink and yellow dhotis tend offerings and vessels, and a figure in a saffron wrap stands at the back. Behind them stand decorated deity murti and a large ornate canopy with floral garlands and banana plants. Nobody in this scene is identifiable as a person by the cues the guidelines require, so no candidate is marked.2015-01-13January 12 20152015-01-12January 13 20152015-01-13A photo of an outdoor Atirudra yagna ritual at dusk, with priests seated on an orange cloth before a raised brick-and-white altar. Priests in pink dhotis and shawls and one in a yellow dhoti perform offerings, one pouring from a vessel onto a plate of yellow food; a man in a pink shawl speaks into a microphone. Brass plates hold flowers, betel leaves, fruit and other offerings. Behind them stand yellow and orange garlanded deity murtis and a pink-and-white decorated structure with marigold garlands. Devotees in green and orange shawls sit at the edges, many with white and ochre body markings.2015-01-12