Rising like Himalayan peaks, four bamboo poles square the altar and pierce the fog. Between swings a canopy, a red ruffled valley cradling gifts for the deities. Underneath, on earth sanctified with cow dung plaster, Brahman priests have diagrammed the cosmos in pink and yellow powders. They dole out offerings: marigolds, coins, cooked rice. In a pit in the middle, the sacred fire of Agni crackles, spits and flares.