# Lambadi culture(1)

In a small Lambadi tanda, where the houses stand close to one another like members of one family, there is a sacred place at the edge of the settlement. It is not a large temple built with tall towers, but a humble and powerful shrine called a “Mutt.” To the Lambadi people, this Mutt is not merely a structure of stone and metal—it is the living presence of an ancestor who continues to guide and protect the family.

Long ago, around the 1850s, there lived a great devotee named Rathiram Nayak, a respected Lambadi elder and a passionate follower of Lord Venkateshwara of Tirupati. Every year, with unshakable faith, he walked all the way to Tirupati to have darshan of the Lord. He owned little, but his devotion was vast. His life was simple, disciplined, and filled with prayer. Even after his death, the elders say, his spirit never left his people.

Years later, during sacred gatherings, members of his family experienced possession rituals (Punakam). In those moments, it was believed that Rathiram Nayak himself spoke through them, asking his descendants to build a Mutt so he could remain with them—not as a wandering spirit, but as a guardian and helping hand for generations to come.

Following his divine wish, the family constructed the Mutt according to sacred tradition. During its foundation, they placed Panchalohas (five sacred metals) and Navadhanyas (nine sacred grains) inside, symbolizing strength, prosperity, and life. On top of the Mutt, they fixed a special stone…

- Kind: Short
- Year: 2025
- Runtime: 1 min
- By: Dheeravathu
- Archive: [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lambadi_culture(1).webm)
- Licence or status: [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) (as the archive states it)
- Credit: Dheeravathu
- Who can watch: Teens profiles and older (the archive gives no rating; placed by Invisible Network from its collection and subjects)

[Watch now](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/watch/archive/commons/183900056?play=1)