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A nighttime initiation scene under a canopy strung with colourful paper lanterns and hanging lamps. A bare-chested man with a rudraksha mala and white markings on his chest and arms bends forward and places a hand on the head of a kneeling devotee with long braided hair. Beside him a second shirtless man in a white dhoti holds a flower-tipped garland, and other devotees in gold-bordered saris, purple and yellow silk, and gold bangles stand or kneel in the foreground. A large screen glows at right and a crowd is visible behind.

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December 05 20162016-12-05December 05 20162016-12-05 +1 copiesDecember 05 20162016-12-05 +1 copiesDecember 05 20162016-12-05December 05 20162016-12-05December 06 20162016-12-06 +1 copiesDecember 05 20162016-12-05August 22 20172017-08-22Night-time initiation scene at an outdoor temple setting. A bare-chested middle-aged man with short grey hair and a red-and-brown rudraksha mala around his neck stands facing right, eyes lowered, while a dreadlocked attendant in an orange-red garment with a pink and white flower garland raises his right hand, bangled with gold, toward the man's forehead. A second attendant in a brown rudraksha mala holds a red flower and a small pot-like object at the right. Large yellow leaves and coloured pillars with decorative panels form the background. No identifiable a person candidate is clearly visible; the attendants are in ritual dress and the scene shows a blessing or initiation.2016-12-05 +1 copiesA photograph of a ritual scene at an indoor event. In the centre, a bald, bare-chested older man bows forward with his head lowered and his hands folded, wearing a white dhoti, a red and white flower garland, and a rudraksha mala around his neck; a small white bandage shows on his forehead. Two women with long dark hair, one in a pale pink and white flower garland and an orange garment, the other in purple, sit in the foreground facing him. Behind them a man with a tilak and orange headband wears rudraksha beads and a white cloth. A yellow kalasha-like pillar with yellow flower garlands and red cushions appears in the background, with other people in pink and blue saris seated behind. The scene suggests a blessing or initiation ceremony.2016-12-05 +1 copiesA night-time ritual photo in an outdoor temple setting with strings of coloured lights overhead and a painted deity panel behind. On the left, a long-haired man with dreadlocks, a red-orange cloth wrapped around his body, gold earrings and a ring, and white sacred ash marks on his face holds a red-and-white ceremonial whisk or staff and extends his right arm toward a bare-chested devotee on the right. That devotee, with shaved head, white marks on the chest and arms, a rudraksha mala, a white sacred thread and a white dhoti with gold border, smiles and raises his palms in reverence. Behind them a woman in a white sari with gold border and a beaded necklace, a curly-haired young man with white forehead marks and an orange cloth, and other attendees look on.2017-08-02A bare-chested man with short grey-streaked hair and white markings on his arm and ear stands with eyes closed while a long-haired figure in a rust-brown and gold-bordered cloth presses a hand to his forehead, applying a blessing. The recipient wears a rudraksha mala and a pendant on a chain and holds a garland of marigolds and red flowers. Bright lights, a white canopy with pink trim and a blurred crowd of onlookers in the background suggest an outdoor ritual gathering at night.2017-08-02