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Night outdoor ritual photo. A shaven-headed man in saffron-orange robes with gold borders stands beside a tall young banana plant tied to a white-barked pole, holding a brass bell in his right hand and a small silver plate with a lit oil lamp in his left. He wears a gold bead necklace with a pendant and a bindi-style mark on his forehead. Behind him, red lights are strung across a wall with a sign in Devanagari script. A second person in a light blue garment holds a silver tray with a cup and food at the lower right edge. The setting appears to be a temple-style courtyard at night.

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October 03 20112011-10-03 +1 copiesApril 24 20122012-04-24A photograph of an outdoor ritual beside a young banana tree. A bald man in saffron-orange robes with a red-bordered saffron shawl, wearing gold-toned ceremonial necklaces and glasses, stands barefoot on a woven mat and holds a small silver lamp or dish while ringing a handbell. A younger man in white dhoti and shirt with a yellow shawl holds a brass tray or plate above. A man in white with a yellow shawl kneels at right, arranging small bowls of red, yellow and orange powders on a brass plate at the base of the tree. A man in white at left holds a silver vessel. Background shows a dark stone deity statue and a red wall. Gravel and small offerings lie on the ground.2009-09-26October 03 20112011-10-03A night fire ritual under a canopy decorated with orange and green festoons and banana leaves. A shaved-headed man in orange robes stands at right holding a silver plate with a flame, facing a square fire pit covered with white cloth, marigold garlands and yellow flower petals. Smoke rises from the pit. Other people in orange and saffron clothing sit cross-legged around it, one with hands folded in prayer at left. Brass vessels with fruit, flowers and yellow rice offerings sit on banana leaves, and a framed portrait garlanded with flowers stands in the background. Several seated attendees in yellow shirts sit at lower right near a red-and-gold book. This depicts a homa, a fire offering ritual.2009-09-25October 19 20122012-10-19Night ritual at an outdoor homa or fire-offering site under a decorated canopy of green and orange festoons and banana leaves. A man in saffron-orange robes with a hood-like head covering and layered beaded necklaces stands at right, holding a silver plate of flaming camphor or offering fire aloft. Seated devotees in orange and maroon garments press palms together around a square homa pit with brass vessels, marigold petals and yellow flowers. Smoke rises at left, and a garlanded deity murti sits in the background at right. Several people in white with yellow shawls kneel at lower right.2009-09-25A photograph at night showing a shaved-headed man in saffron-orange robes with a red-and-saffron sash draped over his head and shoulders, wearing a gold beaded necklace and a white forehead mark. He holds a brass aarti lamp with several flames, with a flower garland visible on the right. Green banana leaves hang overhead, and strings of small lights glow on a wall behind him. Partially visible on the left edge is another person wearing glasses. The scene suggests an evening aarti ritual; the man's appearance is consistent with the page's reference to a person but is not clearly distinctive enough to confirm identity.2009-09-25Close photo of an evening aarti at a temple. A man in orange ochre robes and a long strand of wooden beads holds a brass oil lamp with a lit wick in his right hand, bringing it toward a large brass plate holding a burning flame on a white candle or wick. Behind him, another person in orange robes holds a brass bell and bends forward, and a third figure in orange stands at the right. The altar is draped in red cloth with gold embroidered pattern. The scene is ritual lamp worship with a bell.2010-01-01 +1 copiesDecember 23 20162016-12-23September 26 20092009-09-26A shaved-headed man in saffron-orange robes with a red-and-gold border stands at night under a canopy of orange, green and leafy decorations, holding a metal plate of burning camphor flame with red and yellow flowers. He wears a long beaded gold-and-white necklace and gold bangles. Around him seated devotees in white clothes with yellow shawls press their palms together, and some hold small oil lamps. In the foreground a woman's head is visible, and a decorated white basket with banana leaves and flowers sits at right. Smoke drifts across the scene, indicating an aarti ceremony during a chandi homa.2009-09-25