<div>In August 2025, an 18-foot creature from Odisha's Mahabharata stood 700 feet from the Man at Burning Man — and breathed fire.
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<div>Navagunjara Reborn was a year in the making: nine animal forms fused into one mythological being, handcrafted by master artisans across Odisha, India — sculpting with dhokra bronze cast figurines by Rajesh Moharana, cane work by Ekadashi Barik, sabai grass weaving, pattachitra painting, kotpad textiles — then engineered, shipped across an ocean, and raised on the playa through three storms by a volunteer crew. Thousands of people stood under it at night as it breathed fire. It was built on a Burning Man Honoraria grant, crowdfunding, and the artists' own commitment. We documented the whole journey in an <a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.27801" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">open-access paper</a>, so the artisans' names and methods are permanently on record.
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<div>Then, during teardown, several irreplaceable pieces were stolen from our staging site — including the metal human arm that held the creature's torch. The theft is documented with the Pershing County Sheriff's Office. The loss was real.
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<div>In 2026, Navagunjara returns — reborn with a dragon's head. The surviving crafts go back to the playa as a tribute: the same creature, transformed, the way the myth always said it would be. The dragon — itself a nine-animal composite in Chinese tradition — joins Odisha's nine-formed god in a single being. One myth of multiplicity honoring another.
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<div>What your donation funds:
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<li>Fabrication of the new dragon head, and reconstruction of stolen arm and leg
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<li>Replacement of the stolen flame-effects hardware
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<li>Transport of the sculpture to and from Black Rock City
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<li>Return shipping of the handcrafted pieces to India at the end of the exhibition period, in accordance with U.S. customs requirements — sending the artisans' work home with dignity
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<div>Our full 2026 budget is approximately $7,500; we've set a staged starting goal and will raise it as each milestone is funded — dragon head, arm, and leg first, then transport, then the crafts' return shipping to India.
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<div>Earth Innovation Hub Corp is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit; donations here go directly to the organization and are tax-deductible. Every dollar goes to the project. Last year's build exceeded its budget and the gap was carried by the artists and this community — this year we're asking for help up front.
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<div>If you can't donate, sharing this page helps more than you know. And if you were one of the people who stood under the creature at night while it breathed fire — this is how it comes back.
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<div>Project journal, photos, and published papers are at its <a href="https://earthinnovationhub.org/navagunjara_reborn" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">website</a>.
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Alex Goldman

Lindsay Van Voorhis

Navagunjara Returns: A Dragon Rises at Burning Man 2026

Still $1,370 to go. Help us build momentum.