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Night-time fire-walking ritual at a temple ground. A long trench of glowing embers runs down the centre, and a woman in a white sari walks across it while many devotees in white dhotis and saris stand on both sides holding long wooden poles. Some devotees watch closely with hands clasped, and a few hold cameras. Drums rest at the right edge, and a lit tower with a golden finial stands in the background under a bright lamp. Sparkling light specks fill the dark sky.

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Night photograph of a fire-walking ritual at an outdoor temple celebration. A long pit of glowing embers runs across the centre, and a man in white dhoti and shirt walks barefoot across it while another man in white stands at its edge. Dense crowds of devotees in white clothes, with orange, saffron and red saris and shawls, line both sides behind bamboo poles. A lit torch or lamp tower with a canopy stands in the background under strings of lights. A drum rests in the foreground.2006-12-30December 30 20062006-12-30December 30 20062006-12-30December 30 20062006-12-30December 30 20062006-12-30December 30 20062006-12-30Night-time photograph of a fire-walking ritual at an outdoor temple area. A glowing bed of red-hot embers lies in a trench, with wooden poles and a bamboo-style barrier set along it. A man in a white dhoti and white shirt with a white cloth, wearing a beaded necklace, stands at the centre, while another in white stands beside the embers holding a long wooden pole. Behind the barrier, a large crowd of devotees in mostly white clothing, with some women in orange and colourful saris, watches closely. A brass pot sits at the lower left, and strings of triangular pennants and a lit lamp hang overhead near a palm tree and small white shrine structure.2007-12-30Night photograph of a fire-walking ritual on dirt ground. A long trench of glowing white-grey embers runs down the centre, bordered by wooden rails. A man in white clothes and a white cap stands at the left edge of the trench, while another person in white walks or steps across the embers near the centre. Behind the rails, a large crowd of people in mostly white clothing, with some orange and saffron garments, watches closely. A lit illuminated palanquin or ratha with decorative lamps stands in the background, with a strung bunting line above and dark trees beyond.2006-12-30Night photograph of a fire-walking ritual at a temple courtyard. A woman in white clothes stands with her hands joined in namaste at the edge of a long bed of dark glowing embers, while a man in white dhoti and shirt stands nearby. Crowds of devotees in white clothing and colourful saris line the sides, some holding long wooden poles. A man in a brown shirt faces the fire at right, and a photographer with a camera stands in the foreground. A lit temple tower and white shrine structures appear in the background, with a dark SUV at right.2006-12-30Night photo of a fire-walking ritual at a temple. A long pit of glowing embers runs down the centre, and a person in white dhoti and shawl walks across it with hands pressed together in prayer. Men and women in white ritual clothes line both sides of the path, with bamboo poles marking the lane. A lit ornate chariot or palanquin with lamps stands at the far end, and a bald man in white stands at right near the pit. A large crowd of devotees watches from behind the poles.2006-12-30December 30 20062006-12-30Night photograph of a fire-walking ritual in an outdoor temple grounds. A figure in white dhoti and shirt walks barefoot across a trench of glowing embers lined with earth banks. Crowds of devotees in white dhotis and saris stand on both sides behind bamboo poles, and a lit ratha-style structure or shrine with a lamp glows in the background under strung festoon bunting. A blue bucket sits at the left edge near the trench.2006-12-30