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A photograph of a Varalakshmi Vratam puja at a temple hall. A bare-chested priest with long hair tied up, white sacred ash on his forehead and arms, and rudraksha malas sits cross-legged on the floor in a white dhoti, holding a brass lamp stand with lit flames. Before him is a small deity murti of Varalakshmi draped in pink silk and garlanded with white and red flowers, with rose petals scattered on a tray. Three large decorated deity statues stand behind, dressed in green, orange and white silks with jewelled crowns, garlands and ornaments. A black stone Nandi figure with an orange cloth rests on a pedestal to the left, and brass oil lamps stand on the floor.

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KAILASA LOS ANGELES, USA on 8/9/20192019-08-09Indoor puja at a temple shrine with three seated participants on a mat before deity murtis draped with garlands. A woman in white with a microphone on a stand reads from paper at left. A woman in a yellow and green sari with a rudraksha mala sits beside her with hands folded. A bare-chested priest with long hair and a white dhoti stands at center, tending a brass plate of kumkum, flowers and offerings. Behind them, large decorated deity statues in green, blue and pink saris with crowns and garlands stand on a raised platform, and oil lamps flank the altar.2019-08-09A shirtless priest kneels at the left of a gilded shrine, holding a lit oil lamp in a silver dish and an incense stick, while smoke rises from the lamp. He wears a white dhoti with a yellow border and a black rudraksha-style mala. In front of him are brass vessels, flower garlands, and offering plates. The central deity murti is dressed in red and white silk, draped with red and white flower garlands, a large bead necklace, and a crown-like headdress, with a trident-like emblem visible. Smaller pink-and-red clad murtis stand on gold pedestals beside it, decorated with garlands and jewelry. Marigolds and yellow flowers adorn the shrine, and a gold-framed background of golden decorative panels completes the scene. This appears to be a puja or aarti in progress at a temple shrine.2024-09-29A priest with long dreadlocked hair tied up, a bare chest, white ritual cloth around the waist, a rudraksha mala and white painted markings on his upper arm stands at right and performs aarti with a brass five-flame oil lamp held high in his right hand while ringing a brass bell in his left. Before him is an altar with several painted or gilded deity murtis draped in marigold and multicolored flower garlands, including a figure with a green turban and a seated figure in blue and gold silk. Red curtains and gold canopies frame the altar, and offerings sit on a silver-trimmed tray. One person is visible.2019-12-31 +3 copiesPhoto inside a temple shrine room with gold-framed arch and yellow walls. A bare-chested priest in white dhoti at left holds a multi-flame aarti lamp toward a central deity pair in black stone with gold crowns, garlands of red, white and green flowers, and a rudraksha-bead decorated shivalinga-style form in the foreground. To the right stands a dark-skinned deity murti in pink and yellow silk sari-style drape with white jasmine garlands. Brass oil lamps, a kalasha and small bowls sit on the floor and shelves, and a brass oil lamp rests on a red mat at lower right.2022-04-17 +1 copiesPhoto 82863632022-09-27 +1 copiesA photograph inside a shrine room with a tiled golden-brown wall. A person seen from behind, wearing a maroon-red garment with a gold border and a yellow-and-pink garland, raises a lit oil lamp (aarti) toward three golden metal murtis on a purple draped altar decorated with flowers and green leaves. The central figure is a multi-armed deity murti in white cloth and a crown, flanked by two standing murtis in red-brown garments. Garlands of white, pink and red flowers hang on the figures and at the front, where decorated kalasha-style offerings and flower arrangements sit on the floor. Nobody else is visible.2014-06-28 +1 copiesKAILASA LOS ANGELES, USA on 1/21/20212021-01-21A priest in white dhoti and an unstitched white upper cloth with a yellow-bordered dhoti sits cross-legged on an orange cloth before a shrine, performing puja with a lit oil lamp held in his right hand and a paper of text in his left. Behind him stand a deity murti in blue and gold with a crown, flanked by smaller figures, and a tall deity figure in a green and gold saree, all draped with white and orange garlands. Fresh yellow and red roses sit in brass vases, and rows of gold lamps and brass pots and bowls rest on the cloth in front. Painted yellow and blue motifs decorate the hangings behind. The priest is a single physical person; no a person candidate is visible.2022-11-30 +3 copiesPhoto 66800062022-10-01 +3 copiesPhoto 103278482022-09-29 +1 copiesKAILASA LOS ANGELES, USA on 12/25/20202020-12-25