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A large indoor ritual hall under a tin roof strung with coloured fairy lights. In the foreground a seated man in a rust-orange turban and long braided dreadlocks, bare-chested with gold ornaments and a brown-orange wrap, reaches out to touch a young boy's head. Beside him a golden deity murti sits on a leopard-print cloth. Several shirtless boys in white dhotis wear white sacred threads, and a woman in an orange sari sits nearby. A fire burns in a yellow-cloth-covered homa area with flower arrangements, coconuts and brass vessels, while a crowd of seated devotees in white and orange fills the hall. A cameraperson with a tripod films at the back. Appearance-based candidate: a person, identified by the turban, long braided hair, bare chest, gold adornments and central ritual role.

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Evening ritual in an open-sided pavilion strung with multicoloured fairy lights, with a crowd of devotees seated on striped mats. In the foreground, a figure with long dreadlocks and a rust-orange turban, wearing a gold necklace and a shawl, stretches his arm to touch the forehead of a young boy in a white dhoti and bare chest. The boy stands before a tall gold staff topped with a gold ornament. Nearby, other boys in white dhotis and sacred threads kneel, and a ceremonial fire burns beside a brass vessel and yellow flower-decorated offerings. A cameraman stands on a platform at the back. Exact count not determinable.2017-02-21February 21 20172017-02-21Night-time ritual gathering under a tented roof with string lights. A central figure in a rust-red turban, long dark braided hair and a gold ornament, wearing a red-orange cloth, sits on a leopard-print seat with a gold lion-headed armrest and raises one hand over a seated boy. The boy wears a white dhoti and a white sacred thread and presses his palms together. Nearby, a fire burns in a yellow-cloth-covered altar with brass vessels, and a bare-chested man with white-painted forehead and tilak sits in front. Colourful striped mats cover the floor and a dense crowd of people in white and orange clothes stands behind them.2017-02-21A night-time ritual in a open-sided pavilion strung with multicoloured fairy lights. In the foreground a man with long dreadlocked hair, a rust-red turban, bare chest and a brown-orange cloth, and gold ornaments on his arm, places his hand on the head of a seated child. Beside him a golden ceremonial staff topped with a serpent-like finial and a gilded lion-head pedestal stand near the frame. A fire burns in a homa pit with offerings in front of them, and a second man with long dreadlocks and a white cloth around his waist sits nearby with a rudraksha necklace. Behind them a large crowd of white-clad and saffron-clad devotees sits on striped mats, with a banner of a world map and a portrait at the top right.2017-02-21February 21 20172017-02-21February 21 20172017-02-21Outdoor evening initiation under a corrugated metal canopy draped with red, blue and yellow fringed cloth. A bare-chested man with long dreadlocked hair, a rust-orange wrap, gold bangles and a rudraksha mala extends his right hand to touch the forehead of a young boy kneeling before him. The boy, bare-chested with a white cord, has white sacred ash marks. Another man with a white-painted torso and rudraksha beads stands at left holding a small white object. Behind them a crowd of people in white clothes watches, and smoke drifts through the scene.2017-05-02A photograph of a Shiva Deeksha initiation at an open-sided temple hall with a corrugated roof and string lights. A bare-chested man with long swept-back hair, rudraksha beads, gold armlets and a red-orange cloth seated on a gilded throne with a golden parasol overhead touches the forehead of a young male devotee with his right hand. Beside them a standing attendant in white dhoti and a rudraksha mala holds a small object, and another attendant in white stands nearby. Behind, a crowd of devotees in white and saffron sits in rows near offering plates and lamps. The seated figure is an appearance-based a person candidate in an initiating role, presented on the page as attending this Vishesha Deeksha event. Text on the photo reads a copyright line and a source credit.2017-05-02A photograph of a temple blessing in a gold-decorated shrine. A man with long dreadlocked hair, a white tilak on his forehead, layered rudraksha malas and a leopard-print sleeveless garment places his right hand on the head of a boy with palms pressed together in namaste. The boy wears an orange cloth and a rudraksha mala. Behind them, a robed person in orange stands near ornate gold carvings, and a small golden deity murti sits in the foreground. Blurred heads of onlookers frame the lower edge.2017-07-25A fire ritual at an outdoor pavilion at night. In the foreground, a person seen from behind with a large bun of dark hair wears an orange-saffron garment with a pink floral garland, and gold bangles on the arm, while seated and facing a wooden yagna platform. Flames burn in a brick-and-wood fire pit with brass pots and offerings in front of it, and petals and grains scatter on the red carpet. Around them, white-clad priests and devotees sit, some bare-chested with sacred threads and rudraksha mala, and others wear orange and yellow garments. A large screen and gold-draped structures stand in the background.2016-12-05July 11 20172017-07-11 +1 copiesA photograph of a ritual blessing in a gilded temple setting. A long-haired man in a leopard-print sleeveless garment and multiple rudraksha malas touches the forehead of a young boy in an orange cloth and a rudraksha necklace, who has white markings on his face and body and keeps his eyes closed. Behind them, a man in white and orange robes with long dreadlocks stands near a golden deity murti and a lit oil lamp, with ornate gold carvings and illuminated panels in the background. The man placing his hand on the boy has a horizontal tilak on his forehead and a red thread on his wrist, and is positioned as the officiating figure. a person: the long-haired man in the leopard-print garment with multiple rudraksha malas is performing the blessing as the central officiant.2017-07-25