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Photograph of a shaktipada/Rudra Abhishekam-style ritual at night under a decorated pavilion. Many bare-chested men wear white dhotis and orange headbands painted on the forehead; several have white sandalwood or ash markings on their chests and shoulders. In the foreground a man with grey hair and a wooden-rimmed bamboo tray and a younger bearded man in a white dhoti stand beside a tray of yellow marigold garlands and steel bowls of yellow flowers and offerings. Behind them a tiered ornate pedestal with lion figures and a small deity murti stands near a red-and-white stepped platform. A man in white dhoti and garlanded necklaces stands at right, while a seated man at right edge works with offerings. No identifiable a person appearance is visible, so the figures are described by role only.

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December 02 20162016-12-02December 02 20162016-12-02December 02 20162016-12-02December 02 20162016-12-02A photograph of a shaktipada-style initiation ritual under a white tent at night, lit by string lights and hanging lanterns. Several shirtless men in white dhoti-style cloth stand before a raised platform. Those in front wear red-and-orange eye bands across their foreheads. A grey-haired man in the left foreground, bare-backed and marked with white ash, holds a bowl and an offering tray. Next to him a bearded man with clasped hands stands in prayer, and a bald man in grey loose trousers, with a red eyeband, stands with hands near his chest. Behind them more participants stand, and a seated person with dark hair faces away near marigold garlands and brass pots on a tray. Several other participants and a few onlookers in the background complete the scene. No clearly identifiable a person figure is visible.2016-12-02Seated devotees in a ritual hall during a puja, with brass oil lamps and small trays of pink flowers laid on the floor before them. Several men wear white dhotis with gold borders and bare upper bodies marked with white ash stripes, plus rudraksha malas. A man in the centre wears glasses and holds an open book, while the man at right presses his palms together in anjali. Orange-robed devotees sit further back, and tall brass lamp stands line the room. No single individual here can be confidently identified as a person from appearance alone.2017-07-20Night ritual photograph at an outdoor pavilion. A bare-chested priest in white dhoti with orange tilak and rudraksha mala stands with hands joined in namaskar before a stepped altar with a carved stone peetha flanked by lion figures. Beside him, a younger man in white dhoti and glasses holds a brass tray of flower petals toward the altar. Seated devotees in white and pink headwear, some with rudraksha malas and sandalwood marks, sit on the floor to the left. A low yellow-and-red platform in the foreground holds offerings of fruit and flowers, with brass vessels and an oil lamp at the edge. Several people stand in the background in white.2016-12-02Photograph of five bare-chested men in white dhotis during a temple ritual under a white tent canopy. Foreground left, a man with black hair wears an orange-and-red forehead band and rudraksha mala, his body marked with white ash. Behind him, men with orange forehead bands and white neck cords stand in line. Second from right, a man with a rudraksha mala and white dhoti with a gold border walks forward. On the far right, a man in glasses carries a silver tray of pink flowers. Background shows a decorated shrine and a few seated spectators in purple.2016-12-02December 02 20162016-12-02A ritual puja scene inside a temple hall, with decorated ritual vessels and a deity shrine draped and garlanded in flowers. In the foreground, a shirtless priest in a white dhoti with gold border and a gold-patterned cloth stands beside another bare-chested man in a white dhoti and a red cloth over the shoulder, both wearing rudraksha-style beaded necklaces. Behind them, saffron-turbaned men in orange robes and white-clad devotees stand near a canopy of red and gold fabric. Round kalasha-style pots with marigold and rose garlands, coconuts, banana leaves, and mango leaves sit on a magenta cloth. A man in a white dhoti with a purple shawl pours from a vessel near the garlanded shrine. Brass vessels and scattered flower petals lie on the red floor.2018-04-14A ceremonial reception on a stage before a golden throne decorated with garlands of yellow, orange, purple and red flowers. In the centre, a bearded man with a bare chest wears an orange-saffron dhoti and a yellow-orange garland, holding a flower garland in both hands and offering it. Facing him, a younger man in an orange-saffron shawl and garland stands with hands folded in reverence. To the left, a line of devotees includes a man in a striped shirt holding a brass plate of fruit and offerings, a young man in a white dhoti with an orange-red beaded necklace, and a boy in a white shirt. A shaved-headed priest in white dhoti and yellow shawl stands at the far left. A red-cushioned seat sits to the right against a dark blue backdrop.2010-10-24Several men sit cross-legged on a white marble floor performing a ritual with brass plates. Most are bare-chested, wearing white dhotis with gold borders, and have white sacred ash marks on their foreheads and bodies. The man in front wears rudraksha malas and has a white tilak and tends small brass bowls holding flower petals, pink flowers and leaves on a mesh cloth. Beside him an older man with white hair sits on a red and orange cloth with pink flowers and offerings. Other men with orange or rudraksha necklaces sit nearby, and a seated woman in a yellow sari cradles a small child in the background. Steel serving counters and framed deity images stand behind them.2017-07-25