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Night photograph of a tall copper-wrapped ritual pole, possibly a flagstaff or ceremonial post, standing upright with a lit oil lamp cluster and white feathered top at its base. Around it a crowd of men and women in white dhotis and white saris stands behind bamboo railings, some with hands folded in prayer. A shallow fire pit with glowing embers and ash lies in the foreground, and a palm tree and bright lamp light the background. Strings of small pennants run along the railing line.

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December 30 20062006-12-30December 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.2006-12-30Night photograph of a fire-walking ritual ground enclosed by bamboo poles and rope fencing. A tall ceremonial pole or structure hung with a long red cloth and ribbon rises into the dark, beside a palm tree and bright spotlights. Crowds in white traditional clothing stand along the fenced path and gather near a lit shrine-like altar at the centre, with a glowing lamp-lit deity or altar structure visible. The ground in front shows ash and embers of a fire pit. Bunting strung across the top of the scene. A small purple logo appears in the lower left corner.2006-12-30December 30 20062006-12-30December 30 20062006-12-30Night 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.2006-12-30Night 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 20062006-12-30Night 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 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.2006-12-30