Skip to content
Nithyanandapedia
Night photo of a fire-walking ritual at a temple ground, with a large crowd of devotees dressed mostly in white standing around a path of glowing embers. Two women in white saris with gold borders walk across the coals while a man in white dhoti and shirt watches beside them. In the background stands a tall ornate ritual pole with a palm tree behind it and white temple structures. A man in white with an orange cloth over his shoulder and a walking staff walks at centre-back among the crowd. Strings of pennants stretch across the scene under the night sky.

More like this

Open the gallery
December 30 20062006-12-30Night photograph of a fire-walking ritual at a temple ground. A long trench is filled with glowing white-grey embers and ash, with a dark charred strip running through it. Behind a bamboo railing, a crowd of devotees in white dhotis and white kurtas stands and watches. In the centre, a man in an orange-saffron robe stands among white-clad men, and a figure in a white dhoti stands at the front near the trench. A tall lit pole or ratha-like structure with a flagpole rises into the dark sky above, with a white streamer and a small light at its base. Some people in the crowd sit on the ground to the right.2006-12-30Night photograph of a tall copper-wrapped ritual pole, possibly a flagstaff or ceremonial post, standing upright with a lit oil lamp cluster and white feathered top at its base. Around it a crowd of men and women in white dhotis and white saris stands behind bamboo railings, some with hands folded in prayer. A shallow fire pit with glowing embers and ash lies in the foreground, and a palm tree and bright lamp light the background. Strings of small pennants run along the railing line.2006-12-30December 30 20062006-12-30December 30 20062006-12-30Night photograph of a fire-walking ritual at an outdoor festival. A devotee in a white dhoti and shirt walks barefoot across a glowing bed of embers in a long trench lined with dry straw, hands pressed together in prayer. Another man in white follows behind him. Dense crowds of devotees in white clothes line both sides of the path, many women with braided hair and orange sarees, held back by long bamboo poles. Drummers in white stand at the right edge beside drums. Above, a decorated palanquin or ratha with lamps is lit under a coconut palm, with a strand of bunting overhead. No clear appearance cue for a person is visible among the figures.2007-12-30Night-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 in an outdoor temple courtyard. A long pit of glowing red embers runs across the foreground, with smoke rising from it, bordered by wooden poles and rails. Many people dressed in white stand along the rails, some in white dhotis and shirts, one in a yellow-bordered sari. In the background a lit lamp stands on a raised platform near a tall pole, with a deity murti and white-draped structure beneath, under a string of pennant flags. A man in white with a blue bucket stands near the pit edge. No single person can be confidently identified as the a person from appearance alone.2006-12-30Night 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.2006-12-30December 30 20062006-12-30Night photograph of a fire-walking ritual pit. A long trench of glowing red embers and ash smoulders in the foreground, bordered by wooden poles and sticks laid across it. Behind it, a crowd of men in white dhotis and white shirts stands and watches around a raised white platform. On the platform is a lit lantern or oil lamp, a dark deity murti with garlands, and metal pots and vessels. Palm trees and a strip of blue and white bunting stretch across the dark background. The scene reads as a fire-walking ritual with devotees gathered around the altar, but no one is shown walking the coals and no prominent figure is singled out.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.2006-12-30