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Photograph of a seated initiation session at an ashram gathering. In the foreground, a bare-chested man with short dark hair and glasses adjusts a white sacred thread over his shoulder, his chest and arms marked with white paste. Beside him, a bare-chested participant with white paste on his shoulders and back wears a dark beaded necklace and a white dhoti. Behind them, several men in white dhotis and orange-red shawls sit in rows, some with rudraksha malas. A colourful striped mat lies on the floor. The scene reflects a Shiva Deeksha initiation with sacred threads and vibhuti-style markings.

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March 15 20172017-03-15A photograph of a group of shirtless men seated on a red floor mat during a ritual at the Nithyananda Peetham Thiruvannamalai ashram. In the foreground a man with black hair and a trimmed moustache, wearing a red thread on his wrist and a white cloth around his neck, lifts both arms to his head and holds a small white item. Several men behind him are bare-chested with white horizontal sacred ash marks on their foreheads and chests, wearing white dhotis with yellow borders and beaded or cord necklaces. A plastic bag and bottle sit on the floor at lower right.2017-03-11A photograph of a group of shirtless men seated in a row during a ritual, with white sacred ash marks on their foreheads, chests and arms, and white sacred threads over their shoulders. The central man, wearing glasses and a red rudraksha mala with a pendant, sits with eyes lowered and hands near a small object on a cloth. Others around him sit with eyes closed, some chanting, dressed in white and yellow cloths. The setting appears to be an indoor hall with white walls and a blurred background.2017-02-26December 02 20162016-12-02A seated group of devotees in a hall performs a breathing or pranayama practice, pressing one nostril closed with a finger. Several men sit cross-legged on a white floor, bare-chested, wearing white dhotis with gold-bordered yellow edges and white sacred ash marks on their foreheads and arms. Rudraksha mala beads hang across the chests of two men in the centre. Behind them, others wear orange-saffron cloths, and wooden chairs and a red cushion are visible in the background. A small floral arrangement sits at the lower right. No speaker or throne is clearly identifiable in the frame.2017-06-27A shirtless young man with short dark hair stands in a crowded hall, looking down while he applies white paste to his own chest with his fingers. He wears a white dhoti with a gold-bordered edge and a thin orange-and-beige cord with beads around his neck. Behind and beside him, other devotees in white dhotis and saris and a person in orange stand near a red curtain. A woman with a long braid in a white sari with a gold border is partly visible at the left edge. Ritual body markings in white paste mark the chest and upper arms of several people.2017-04-03March 15 20172017-03-15March 15 20172017-03-15November 22 20152015-11-22A photograph of a seated puja in a hall with a cream floor. In the centre, a grey-haired man with glasses and white body markings sits with palms pressed together in anjali, wearing a white dhoti with a gold border, a bare upper body, several rudraksha malas and a pendant necklace. Around him, other men and women sit on mats in white and saffron cloths, many with white ash markings on their bodies. Brass plates with flowers, a small oil lamp and a book lie on the floor in front. A shaved-headed man at left also presses his palms together.2017-01-08A photograph of a young boy in the foreground, bare-chested and marked with white ash on his shoulders and chest, wearing a white dhoti with gold-bordered yellow edges. He wears a red-and-gold thread necklace and a dark bead bracelet, and looks down while adjusting it. Behind and beside him, several other people in white dhotis, some bare-chested, stand or sit in a hall with red curtains. A woman with a long braid and a white-and-gold blouse is at the left edge.2017-04-03July 05 20172017-07-05