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A photograph of a night procession at a temple. A bare-chested priest in a yellow dhoti and white sacred thread stands on a richly garlanded palanquin or ratha beneath a striped, multicoloured canopy with golden finials. He holds a lit oil lamp or aarti flame over the deity murti, which is decorated with yellow, orange and red garlands. Dense crowds below press forward with hands raised in namaskar and folded palms, and many men wear white dhotis and shirts. Stone pillars and a lit building frame the scene.

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April 05 20122012-04-05April 05 20122012-04-05April 05 20122012-04-05Night procession photographed outdoors among a dense crowd of devotees pressing forward with raised hands. A bare-chested man in a yellow dhoti with a grey-patterned waist cloth stands on a flower-decorated float or chariot, one hand raised and head tilted. Behind him is a large ornate umbrella with blue, orange and red panels and tassels, and the float is heavily garlanded with yellow, white and red flowers. Temple gopuram-style architecture and a streetlight-lit compound form the background. Other men in white shirts and dhotis stand near the float, and a camera operator is visible at the left edge.2012-04-05April 05 20122012-04-05April 05 20122012-04-05Night procession at a South Indian temple. A decorated palanquin carrying a small gold-coloured deity murti is covered by a striped canopy in orange, blue, white and yellow with a gold finial, and garlanded with bands of red, white and yellow flowers. A man in a yellow dhoti bends low under the palanquin, carrying it on his shoulders. A dense crowd of mostly men in white shirts and dhotis presses around it, some holding up a metal tray with a lit flame, and some raising hands. Temple pillars and a tiered gopuram tower stand in the background under a dark sky.2012-04-05April 05 20122012-04-05April 05 20122012-04-05Night procession at a South Indian temple. A richly decorated palanquin carrying a deity murti is covered with garlands in yellow, red, white and green, under a striped blue, orange and yellow canopy with a golden finial. Shirtless bearers in white dhotis lift the palanquin on poles while a dense crowd of men in white shirts and checked shirts press around it. On the right, a man raises a brass tray holding a flaming camphor or aarti lamp. Smoke drifts above and a temple colonnade with white pillars lines the background. Several men are visible, and a few shawled women stand further back.2012-04-05April 05 20122012-04-05Night procession at a temple: a shirtless man in a white dhoti with a red-and-gold waist cloth stands on a decorated palanquin, arm outstretched, scattering petals into the air. The palanquin is covered by a striped canopy of red, yellow, green and white with blue fringe, and is heavily garlanded with marigold, orange and pink flowers around a deity murti. A dense crowd of men presses behind a wooden barrier, many reaching up with raised hands. Behind them a temple gopuram shows an elephant-headed deity relief, lit by warm lamps, with a Ganesha shrine on the right.2012-04-05