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A young standing figure in an orange dhoti with a yellow-and-gold border stands bare-chested beside a large dark stone base carved with lotus petals. He wears a rudraksha mala and a silver chain, has white sacred ash marks on his forehead and arms, and holds his hands clasped at waist level. Behind him, tiered red-and-brown steps hold many brass lamps and seated devotees in white and yellow garments. A golden shrine frame and a yellow cloth draped over brass vessels appear at right, with small brass oil lamps on the floor.

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December 12 20162016-12-12A young male priest stands barefoot in the foreground of a temple courtyard, his bare chest adorned with a rudraksha mala and a small ceremonial necklace, palms pressed together in anjali. He wears an orange dhoti with a yellow-gold border and white vertical markings on his face and torso. Beside him is a large dark stone lamp base or vessel. Behind him, rows of seated devotees in white and yellow garments face the same direction on tiered red steps, many with small oil lamps and brass vessels placed nearby. On the right, a golden ornamented structure and a yellow silk cloth are visible. The scene suggests a Karthigai Deepam lamp ceremony with lamps being lit in the temple.2016-12-12A young shirtless male priest in an orange and yellow dhoti stands in the foreground beside a large dark stone basin, palms pressed together in front of his chest, with a white tripundra on his forehead, a rudraksha mala and white neck beads. Behind him, rows of seated devotees in white and yellow clothes face the scene on tiered red-steps, some with hands folded in prayer, and brass pots and oil lamps are set along the platform beside a gold-trimmed ceremonial structure. A gold-coloured ceremonial umbrella and yellow cloth are at right. The scene suggests a temple deepam ritual at night.2016-12-12Night-time temple ritual at a large dark stone base with lotus-petal carving. A standing young priest with a tilak and rudraksha mala, bare-chested, wears an orange dhoti with gold border, palms pressed in anjali. To the right, a gold ornate peetha or throne with a red cushion and a garland of yellow flowers holds a deity murti, flanked by gold trident-topped staffs. A seated priest at left with folded hands sits beside a brass puja tray, and brass vessels rest on the red platform. Tiered seating behind holds several devotees in white and orange garments with small oil lamps lining the steps.2016-12-12Evening scene at a large stone lamp structure with a carved lotus-petal base. In the centre, a young man in an orange-saffron dhoti with yellow borders stands barechested with rudraksha beads and a white necklace, palms joined in namaskar. To the left, a seated priest in white dhoti with white forehead markings holds his hands together. On the right, a gilded ornate throne with a red cushion and a garland of yellow and orange flowers, flanked by trident-topped gold staffs and a brass kalasha. Brass pots sit on the platform, and people in white and saffron-coloured clothing sit on tiered red steps in the background.2016-12-12December 19 20162016-12-19December 12 20162016-12-12A young man stands in the foreground wearing an orange dhoti with gold-bordered sash and a bare chest marked with white sacred ash lines, holding his hands together in a mudra-like gesture while looking down. Long dark hair is tied back and a braided cord hangs from his shoulder. Behind him, rows of red stone steps are filled with small black shivalinga-style shrines edged in gold, and many seated devotees in white, pink, blue and red clothes are in prayer or meditation postures. This appears to be an outdoor ritual gathering with rudraksha-style ritual activity.2016-12-15A young boy stands barefoot on a stone platform, bare-chested, with his right arm raised high and his left hand held at his side. He wears a bright orange dhoti tied with broad gold-coloured borders and a long strand of rudraksha beads with a pendant around his neck. Behind him, rows of red stone steps hold seated devotees in white and red clothing, many with bare upper bodies, arranged around black stone shivalinga-style forms. Golden oil lamps glow on the steps.2016-12-19Evening photograph of a temple tank or steps during a lamp festival. In the foreground a bare-chested young boy with short dark hair stands in an orange-saffron dhoti with a gold-edged cloth, wearing a rudraksha mala and bangles, hands together. Behind him, rows of seated devotees in white and colourful garments fill the red stone steps, with many small brass oil lamps lit along the steps. A cameraman in white with a tripod-mounted camera films at right. Lamps and lamp light create warm glow throughout the scene.2016-12-12A young boy in a bare-chested ritual stance stands in the foreground, raising his right fist, wearing an orange-saffron dhoti-style cloth wrapped at the waist and a rudraksha mala across his chest. His face and shoulders bear white ash or tilak markings, and a sacred thread is visible. Behind him, tiered red stone steps are filled with seated participants, many in white clothes, and rows of small black lingam-shaped shrines or dark vessels with gold-tipped decorations fill the steps, with a bright yellow flag-like pole beside him. The background is softly blurred.2016-12-17Outdoor ritual at a tiered stone amphitheatre with red-carpeted floor. In the foreground a bare-chested young male devotee stands with hands folded at his chest, wearing orange dhoti and rudraksha mala. To the right a second person in orange dhoti stands with back turned. Behind them, hundreds of seated audience members fill red-brick steps lined with rows of small brass oil lamps. Gold ceremonial seat or peetha is visible at left edge.2016-12-17