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Nithyanandapedia
Night photo of a crowded outdoor ritual at Nithyananda Dhyanapeetam during Karthigai Deepam. Rows of devotees sit on red-brick steps beside a fence strung with coloured lights and flags. Many hold small brass lamps, diyas, and incense while mostly wearing white or pastel clothes; a woman in a yellow sari and a woman in blue sit near black stone shivalingam-style pillars and brass vessels. Several men are bare-chested with rudraksha malas and vibhuti, one playing a brass horn. An elderly woman in peach clothes with a rudraksha mala holds a lamp in the foreground. No clearly identifiable a person figure is visible.

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December 11 20162016-12-11 +1 copiesNight photograph of a large outdoor ritual on tiered red steps lit by floodlights and strings of colourful lights. Many participants sit cross-legged in rows, most in white, cream or colourful saris and kurtas, and several bare-chested men wear rudraksha malas. Black stone shivalinga stand on the steps before them, with brass vessels and lamps placed beside them, indicating a Shiva abhishekam-style ritual. A bald elderly man in white clothing with a mala sits in the lower right foreground, eyes closed and hands folded. A woman in a yellow-green saree and another in red sit with hands pressed together in devotion.2016-12-06Night photo of a crowded outdoor deepam ceremony with rows of small black stone shivalingams on red-brown tiered steps, each set with brass lamps, bowls and flower offerings. Seated devotees fill the steps: a woman in a purple salwar kameez with a long braid and gold jewellery, a blonde woman in a purple top holding a brass lamp, a man with grey hair in bare-chested white dhoti with a rudraksha mala, a bald man in a white dhoti with a red-and-orange mala, and a bare-chested man in a white dhoti and orange mala, with a pale purple shawl and a wristwatch. Behind them many more people sit under bright string lights.2016-12-12December 06 20162016-12-06December 11 20162016-12-11 +1 copiesDecember 11 20162016-12-11 +1 copiesNight ritual on a red-tiered stone stairway lit by floodlights and string lights, with red flags on poles behind. Dozens of devotees sit on the steps beside black stone Shiva lingams, many with brass plates and lamps. Foreground: a woman in an orange shawl and white trousers holds a brass item; a woman in a blue patterned dress holds a small object; a woman in a magenta sari and a woman in a purple headscarf sit near brass vessels. Several men sit bare-chested in white dhotis, and a man in the back right wears a white garment. Oil lamps and brass vessels are visible along the steps.2016-12-06Night photograph of a seated group at a ritual abhishekam on black stone shivalingas arranged in rows. Several participants pour liquid from long golden vessels onto the lingams. A woman in a red-and-gold sari in the left foreground holds a golden pouring vessel; a woman in a white outfit with a dark braid pours from another. Behind them, a row of seated devotees, some in white, one with a bald head and a rudraksha mala, all holding golden vessels. Blue lights and a chain-link fence sit in the background, with a floodlight at upper right. Bottom right, a bald man with a grey beard in a rudraksha mala and cream clothing sits near the lingams.2016-12-06Night photograph of many participants seated on tiered red steps at an outdoor ritual, each beside a black stone Shivalingam and a brass vessel with lit oil lamps. Many women wear white, saffron-orange, green and pink saris or salwar kameez, with rudraksha malas on several necks. A few men sit bare-chested with orange shawls and malas. Participants sit cross-legged, some with hands folded or holding offerings, while flames flicker across the scene and a fence and purple lighting show behind them. The setting suggests a Rudra Abhishekam gathering, with the Shivalingams and lamps as the central ritual objects. No single figure can be identified as a person from this view.2016-12-09Outdoor photo of a large seated congregation on red-painted stone steps lined with black Shiva lingams and brass pots, with a tall brick wall behind. In the foreground, a bare-chested man in white dhoti with gold border and a red rudraksha mala sits with hands in a meditative mudra, beside a bespectacled man in a white dhoti. A woman in a black top and pink skirt with gray hair sits beside a woman in white with a yellow shawl, both with palms joined. Further right, a bare-chested man in a magenta dhoti with a rudraksha mala sits in meditation. Many more devotees in white and colourful clothes fill the steps, some with palms pressed together. Brass vessels and small oil lamps sit among the lingams.2016-12-14A large outdoor ritual on red tiered stone steps lined with black Shiva lingams and brass vessels. Many devotees sit in rows, mostly in white dhotis, saris and robes, some bare-chested with rudraksha malas. A bald man in a white dhoti on the left holds a brass cup, and a woman with long white hair in front holds a rudraksha mala and sits beside a small deity murti and a red cloth with offerings. A woman in a blue sari sits nearby, and a woman in a purple sari stands at the upper right. Flags are visible in the background. No one wearing distinctive a person-specific cues is clearly identifiable, so no candidate is marked.2016-12-05December 06 20162016-12-06