Altar of Fire poster

Altar of Fire

7.0(1)197645m1

This film records a 12 day ritual performed by Mambudiri Brahmins in Kerala, southwest India, in April 1975. This event was possibly the last performance of the Agnicayana, a Vedic ritual of sacrifice dating back 3,000 years and probably the oldest surviving human ritual. Long considered extinct and never witnessed by outsiders, the ceremonies require the participation of seventeen priests, involve libations of Soma juice and oblations of other substances, all preceded by several months of preparation and rehearsals. They include the construction, from a thousand bricks, of a fire altar in the shape of a bird.

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Status
Released
Budget
—
Box office
—
Language
English

Behind the camera

Produced in

India, United States of America

Videos

Release dates

  • United StatesUS

    • Physical1 Jan 1976

Frequently asked questions

Altar of Fire was released on 1 January 1976.

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