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Night photograph of a fire-walking pit: a long trench filled with glowing-dark, partly burnt coals and ash, bordered by earth and straw. Behind it stand a group of men in white dhotis and white shirts, one man in the centre wearing an orange-red shawl over white. Bamboo poles and a crowd seated behind wooden barriers, lit by a bright lamp; a decorated palanquin or lit shrine structure is visible in the background. Offerings and an oil lamp sit near the trench edge.

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Night photograph of a fire-walking ritual pit. A long trench of glowing red embers and ash smoulders in the foreground, bordered by wooden poles and sticks laid across it. Behind it, a crowd of men in white dhotis and white shirts stands and watches around a raised white platform. On the platform is a lit lantern or oil lamp, a dark deity murti with garlands, and metal pots and vessels. Palm trees and a strip of blue and white bunting stretch across the dark background. The scene reads as a fire-walking ritual with devotees gathered around the altar, but no one is shown walking the coals and no prominent figure is singled out.2006-12-30December 30 20062006-12-30Night photograph of a fire-walking ritual pit: a long trench filled with glowing embers and flames, lined by dirt banks with straw. Behind a wooden fence, many men in white dhotis and white shirts stand watching, some with bare or shaved heads. A lantern-topped pole rises in the smoky background beside palm trees. One man in the centre wears a white shirt, white dhoti and a beaded necklace, standing at the edge of the pit. Smoke drifts through the scene.2006-12-30Night photograph of a fire-walking ritual pit: a long strip of glowing red embers and ash runs through a cleared sandy path, bordered by wooden stakes and bamboo poles held by people in white clothes. At the far end, a raised white platform bearing a decorated deity murti or palanquin sits under a bright light, with a tall pole and a palm tree behind it. A large crowd of mostly white-clad devotees stands along both sides, watching the procession and fire-walking activity. Some men in white kurtas and dhotis stand near the pit, and a bunting strip stretches across the background.2006-12-30Night photograph of a fire-walking ritual in an outdoor temple courtyard. A long pit of glowing red embers runs across the foreground, with smoke rising from it, bordered by wooden poles and rails. Many people dressed in white stand along the rails, some in white dhotis and shirts, one in a yellow-bordered sari. In the background a lit lamp stands on a raised platform near a tall pole, with a deity murti and white-draped structure beneath, under a string of pennant flags. A man in white with a blue bucket stands near the pit edge. No single person can be confidently identified as the a person from appearance alone.2006-12-30December 30 20062006-12-30December 30 20062006-12-30Night photograph of a fire-walking ritual at a temple ground. A long trench is filled with glowing white-grey embers and ash, with a dark charred strip running through it. Behind a bamboo railing, a crowd of devotees in white dhotis and white kurtas stands and watches. In the centre, a man in an orange-saffron robe stands among white-clad men, and a figure in a white dhoti stands at the front near the trench. A tall lit pole or ratha-like structure with a flagpole rises into the dark sky above, with a white streamer and a small light at its base. Some people in the crowd sit on the ground to the right.2006-12-30December 30 20062006-12-30Night photograph of a fire-walking ritual on dirt ground. A long trench of glowing white-grey embers runs down the centre, bordered by wooden rails. A man in white clothes and a white cap stands at the left edge of the trench, while another person in white walks or steps across the embers near the centre. Behind the rails, a large crowd of people in mostly white clothing, with some orange and saffron garments, watches closely. A lit illuminated palanquin or ratha with decorative lamps stands in the background, with a strung bunting line above and dark trees beyond.2006-12-30December 30 20062006-12-30December 30 20062006-12-30