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Night outdoor ritual at an ashram courtyard. Dozens of people sit in rows on the ground before red-striped low platforms holding red trays with oil lamps, flowers and food offerings. Near the front, a man in a saffron-orange robe and white-robed assistants sit at a long altar. A framed portrait garlanded with yellow and orange flowers sits on the right, a deity murti is at the far left, and strings of lights decorate the white building behind. Many attendees wear white traditional clothing, with women in saris and men in white shirts and dhotis. Several participants hold brass plates and lamps for a puja.

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December 30 20092009-12-30December 30 20092009-12-30Night photo of a large outdoor ritual gathering at an ashram courtyard. Dozens of people in white clothing, including women in white saris and men in white shirts, sit on the ground in rows behind red trays holding oil lamps, small plates and offerings. A saffron-robed figure stands at a raised white and red striped platform, with a framed portrait and a deity image beside them, facing the assembly. Strings of fairy lights decorate the white building behind, and smoke rises near the platform. Several participants are visible in the foreground, while the rear rows are partly obscured. Overall a group puja or aarti with oil lamps.2009-12-30December 30 20092009-12-30A large outdoor evening homa gathering at an ashram courtyard. Rows of seated devotees, mostly women in white clothes, sit with palms pressed together before red rectangular fire trays holding burning wood and offerings, with brass plates of flowers and oil lamps beside them. In the background a white-pillared shrine with a dark deity murti draped in garlands stands under a lit tent. Several seated participants wear saffron or pink saris and blue tops. The count of visible seated people is large.2009-12-30December 30 20092009-12-30Night photo of a homa or fire ritual in an open courtyard. Rows of devotees sit on the ground before many low red rectangular fire pits (kundas) with small flames and offerings on plates. Most people wear white clothing; some women wear saffron-yellow, pink or blue saris, and a woman in the foreground wears a cream sari. At the far end, a priest in orange-saffron robes stands behind a long white-and-red striped altar platform with offering trays and a flower garland, while other white-clad attendants stand beside him. Hanging string lights and a small lit shrine appear in the background.2009-12-30December 30 20092009-12-30Evening puja at a decorated outdoor shrine lit with strings of small lamps. On a raised red-and-white striped platform, a shaved-headed priest in a saffron-orange robe sits at the centre, playing a small handheld instrument, flanked by two men in white with yellow shawls. Behind them stands a framed portrait garlanded with marigolds, beside an ornate golden throne-like seat. Women in white saris and a girl in pink sit on the floor in the foreground, many with small red trays holding lit oil lamps. A few people in white sit further back. Nightlights and greenery frame the scene.2009-12-30Night photograph of a large outdoor ritual gathering in which many devotees sit in rows on the ground before red rectangular fire trays, each holding a small flame with offerings and plates of fruit and food nearby. Most participants wear white clothing, with women in white saris and some in blue, pink and orange garments. In the background, a figure in an orange robe sits behind a long table draped with red and white striped cloth, which holds trays of food, flowers and yellow items, while others in white stand nearby. Strings of coloured lights are visible at the top right.2009-12-30Evening outdoor ceremony at Sri Ananda Temple, with white fairy lights strung along the roofline and a garlanded central shrine. A framed portrait of a smiling saffron-robed figure with an orange turban sits on a decorated stand in front, and a picture is shown on the right banner panel. A robed priest in orange sits on a raised platform beside the lit shrine, while about two dozen devotees in white clothes, some in pink or orange saris, sit cross-legged on the ground holding offering trays with oil lamps and flowers. Flames burn in small red lamps in the foreground. Flanking the stage are deity murtis, and an ornate golden throne with red cushions stands at the right.2009-12-30Evening outdoor homa-style ceremony at night with a large crowd of devotees seated on the ground in rows, many in white ritual clothes, some in pink, green and saree tones, hands joined in prayer. Red trays and small oil lamps with offerings sit before them, and smoke rises in the air. In the background a deity murti and a decorated kalasha or shrine structure stand on white pedestals with floral garlands, lit by lamps. The crowd appears well over twenty and. No clearly identifiable a person is visible among the seated devotees; the front figures are attendees, not a presiding figure.2009-12-30