"THE TEMPLE OF RUDRA"

"Gadurai duadra bedi. Aruda Rudra bedi. Dea dea gadu bedi. Bigradi Rudra bedi"

After almost a decade of educational burns, the Fire Lingam Project Headquarters in Central Asia considered the masses of Burning Man prepared for a higher level of understanding.

The Emissaries were instructed, then, to present a bare ritual as performed in the Subcontinent of India. Emissary Pepe Ozan was commissioned to conduct a field research in the State of Tamil Nadu, India, the land of Rudra (the ancient name for Shiva) and Special Emissaries Christopher Fuelling and Twan , were sent from secret locations to the USA to fulfill the task of this endeavor.

In a convocation to enact the ancient Dravidian Fire Ceremony on the night of the final lunar eclipse of the millennium, participants and audience summoned the Cosmic Desire that engendered the Beginning of Time in a rite of Ecstasy and Sacralization.

The God Himself was brought in His visible Incarnation in the form of fire burning on the Chalice of Rudra and carried on the shoulder of 12 Swamis. Ceremonial drumming accompanied the entrance of the God. From "Tempo di Celebracione" (Act I) to "Tempo d'Invocacione" (Act II), the action grows into "Tempo Ceremoniale con Accelerando (Act III) when the 200 plus mantra chanting and spinning People of Rudra attained a State of Incantation.

EMISSARIES:

  • The Hindustani inspired composition was created and sang by Chris Cunningham (Act I) and by Wovoka, led and mellifluously interpreted by vocal leader Chad Hamill (Acts II and III).
  • Support singing was provided by Sally Dana, Lili Oldfield, Pat Bregant and Todd Nelson. Steffanos X incarnated The Voice of the Verses.
  • Ceremonial drumming was rendered by the Burning Man Drumming Collective.
  • Hierophants Tirza Naramore, Paradox Pollack, Fred Adler and Warriorgirl administered the secret procedures as Divine Intermediaries for the 4 Sects of worshippers directed by Rebecca Caldwell (Melancholics), Christopher Fuelling (Phlegmatic), Molotov Malcontent and Felicity Perez (Cholerics) and Ali Kat (Sanguines).
  • A troupe of Virgin Vestals formed by Shari Greenfield, Kara Blanc, Glenda Soler, Joana Carichner, Lera Boroditsky, Jen White and Hillary Norell was presided by Teresa Hempel in ceremonial clothing and ritual procedures.
  • Special costume design was provided by Viscera Lisa Zagone and Nicole and Ernesto Riveiro, from Paris.
  • Deployment Secret Services was executed by sculptors Al Honig, Anton Berteaux, Morgan Raimond, Kiki Pettit, George Hill and Kamila. The documentation was executed by a group of Scribes, created and directed by Dean Mermell
  • Messenger Coordinators were Martha Thompson and Denzil Meyers.
  • Produced by Pepe Ozan, Twan, and Christopher Fuelling
  • Directed/co-written by Christopher Fuelling and Pepe Ozan.

1998 Photo Gallery

Rudra Sects

Rudra Script