> International Institute for Asian Studies Stills from the foot- age, left to right: reciting Sanskrit texts; ‘Agni is fierce’; the new priest and his wife. Wendy van Wilgenburg Filming fire rituals in Nepal Nepal – until recently the only remaining Hindu kingdom in the world – has witnessed profound social and cultural change over the past few decades and political turmoil over the last few years. While the impact of the war between Maoist rebels and the government has been felt in every sphere of Nepalese society, religious rituals modestly and silently continue at the Agnimaøha, the Vedic fire temple in Patan, informed by the idea that they guarantee the continuation of the cycle of the sun and the moon, thereby securing human existence on earth. Bal Gopal Shrestha and this was the right place for them to set- priest (agnihotrin). Since his physical it had been announced in preliminary give a comprehensive view of a set of Wendy van Wilgenburg tle for the rest of their lives. They start- condition was vulnerable, the Agni- plans, no symbolic churning was car- Vedic rituals that have been transmitted, ed to perform daily fire sacrifices and maøha Management Committee made ried out. The priests used the lamp they adapted and added to over the centuries. n view of the political situation, we installed the paõcâgni or the five fires, arrangements permitting him to attend lit from the sunlight the previous day to The most recent filming, in particular, Iwere very fortunate to witness and and it is believed that the Agnimaøha the temple only occasionally, while transmit fire into the fire altar and then has captured creative change – change record the installation rituals performed has existed here ever since. The Rajo- a representative performed his daily to the other altars. The fire in the âha- that should ensure continuation of the at the Agnimaøha fire temple from 20- padhyay Brahmins in Patan, claiming duties. vanîya was so enormous that the paint ritual tradition in a society in profound 26 November 2004, just before the descent from the couple, assume that started to drip from the ceiling and the transition. < borders were closed due to the state of the Agnimaøha in Patan has been there The first day’s rituals started on 20 camera equipment began to melt. ‘Agni emergency. for at least 4,500 years, as researchers November in the morning. On this day is fierce’, the priests stated. They had References found a holy Varuña tree of that age in the god of architecture Viåvakarman was to interrupt their worship to let the fire - Heesterman, J.C. 1983. ‘Other Folk’s Fire’. Our filming complemented earlier the temple courtyard. worshipped. During one of the AMC calm down, as they were hit by falling J. Staal, ed. 1983. Agni, the Vedic Ritual of recordings at the Agnimaøha in Novem- meetings the priests decided to replace paint and had a hard time breathing due the Fire. 2 vols. Berkeley: Asian Humani- ber 1992 when ethnographic filmmak- The daily sacrifices performed in hon- the prescribed goat sacrifice with an egg to the thick smoke. This day was called ties Press, pp.76-94. er Dirk Nijland, together with van den our of Agni are most commonly known sacrifice. The change was made partly to the day of Agni sthâpanâ, the installa- - Hoek, A. W. van den. 1992. ‘Fire Sacrifice Hoek and Shrestha – following on the as Agnihotra, and have been preserved avoid blood sacrifice and partly to avoid tion of the årauta fires, and concluded in Nepal’. A.W. van den Hoek, D.H.A. Kolff work of the late anthropologist Bert van until today at the Agnimaøha in Patan. It excessive expenses. The priests would the five days of rituals. and M.S. Oort, eds., pp. 532-555 + 7 ill. den Hoek (1951-2001) and Bal Gopal is the oldest fire temple in Nepal and one have had to organise a feast in which the - Hoek, A.W. van den D.H.A. Kolff and M.S. Shrestha – filmed the Agnimaøha ritu- of the most important religious sites in head of the sacrificed goat was shared Results and prospects Oort, eds. 1992. Ritual, State and Histo- als, covering all details of the daily morn- the Kathmandu Valley. The Agnimaøha among members of the guthi, a socio- This was the first time that the instal- ry in South Asia. Essays in Honour of J.C. ing and evening rituals, the fortnightly temple contains five fires, one burning religious association of Brahmins asso- lation of a new fire and a new priest at Heesterman. (Memoirs of the Kern Insti- daråapûrñamâsa fire sacrifices and the permanently. The priests in charge of ciated with the Agnimaøha. the Agnimaøha fire temple in Patan tute 5). Leiden/New York/Köln: E.J. Brill anniversary rituals. It was foreseen that the Agnimaøha fire temple believe that was recorded completely, together - Hoek, Bert van den and Bal Gopal the 1992 footage would be completed if the tradition is discontinued the world On the second day of the rituals, 22 with interviews and footage providing Shrestha. 1992. 'The Sacrifice of Serpents: with the filming of another important will come to an end, as would be the case November, we recorded the worship of their context. It was also the last time Exchange and Non-Exchange in the Sarpa- ritual, the installation of new fires and if the sun were to stop shining. Paõcagabya or the consecration of the in this form, as the temple manage- bali of Indrâyañî, Kathmandu'. Bulletin de a new priest (yajamâna) following the five substances of a cow (milk, yoghurt, ment committee decided that with the l´École Fran©aise d'Extrême Orient 79 (1) death of the presiding yajamâna or his The most important participants in the ghee, urine, and dung). Their mixture demise of the present yajamâna, they pp.57- 75. wife. Priest Vishnu Jwalananda’s died at fire ritual are the agnihotrin, or yajamâ- is considered holy and is used for ritual will only install the new priest without - Staal, J. (ed.) 1983. Agni, the Vedic Ritual of the age of 94 on 27 March 2004. na, and his wife. Once chosen, they are purifications. the lengthy and costly procedure of re- the Fire. 2 vols. Berkeley: Asian Humani- responsible for keeping the fire burning installing the fires. ties Press. The team of Bal Gopal Shrestha and vis- at the Agnimaøha and taking care of all On 23 November the divine serpent - Witzel, M. 1986. ‘Agnihotra-Rituale in ual anthropologist Wendy van Wilgen- daily and fortnightly (daråapûrñamâsa) Varuña nâga was invoked from the river The recorded footage is about 46 hours Nepal’. B. Kölver and S. Lienhard, eds. burg departed for Nepal on 7 November offerings until one of them dies. Only at Bagmati at the Samkhamul confluence. in length. Editing the film in the Neth- Formen kulturellen Wandels und andere 2004. The following is a short report of the death of the yajamâna, or his wife, At the riverbank, the priests performed erlands is the next step. Recited texts in Beitraege zur Erforschung des Himalaya. our experiences and surprises during are the Agnimaøha fires discontinued a two-hour worship to call upon the Sanskrit and Newar are being translated St. Augustin: VGH Wissenschaftsverlag, these recordings. and all five fire hearths broken down. divine serpent. An unexpected and into English and the footage will be cut pp. 157-187. The new yajamâna is chosen among heavy shower complicated the filming, back to 90 minutes. If all goes well, Fire rituals the elders of each of the six Rajopad- but was interpreted by the priests and the film will be finished by the end of Bal Gopal Shrestha is an anthropologist Agni (fire) is an important god in the hyaya lineages in Patan. The elaborate audience as a veritable visit of the divine 2007. (PhD: The Ritual Composition of Sankhu, Hindu religion. Especially in the Vedic initiation ceremony of the new agnihot- serpent. They believe that nâga, the god Leiden, 2002) and is currently a research fel- tradition, fire is considered to be a rin must be completed on the first full of water, brings rain. As stated earlier, the 2004 recordings low at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Leiden means to link the human world and moon after the turn of the Nepali New complement the earlier footage from University. heaven. Establishing fire implies ‘life, Year in November. 25 November, the fourth day of the ritu- 1992. The latter material will result in [email protected] wealth, procreation and continuation of als, was the day of consecrating (abhiæe- three films: parts one and two will deal family, clan and lineage’ (Heesterman Filming the rituals ka) the new priest and his wife. This day with two versions of the full moon and Wendy van Wilgenburg is the author of sev- 1983: 76). In the two weeks before the rituals is also called Purvânga. Surprisingly, the new moon (daråapûrñamâsa) rituals; eral documentary films, and studied cultural began, we visited the fire temple in new priest and his wife did not attend. part three is to cover the morning ritual anthropology at the University of Amster- In Nepal, Rajopadhyay Brahmins have Patan and interviewed the main Brah- They were excused because of their old (nitya pûjâ homa), the evening ritual dam. She was trained in visual ethnography maintained the cult of fire at the Agni- min priests. Until the new fire was age and were represented by two small (ârati homa) and the anniversary rituals at Leiden University. maøha fire temple for centuries.