The first photograph of Sri Ramana Maharshi

The first photograph of Sri Ramana Maharshi was taken in 1900 or 1901 when he was staying in the Virupaksha Cave. It was taken by an anonymous photographer who had come to Tiruvannamalai to officially photograph a group of prisoners. For just this single photograph, one has to remember always this unknown photographer.
This picture has a fascination of its own. Firstly everyone is eager to know how Ramana looked at the time of his enlightenment, on July 17th 1896. This is the nearest photograph we have to that epoch making event. In this photo his face is brimming with innocence. His hair is thick and black to indicate his youth. His long nails and emaciated body clearly indicate that the body was not cared for. What stand out are those large luminous eyes which have a compelling attraction. One notices this specially in a bust of this photograph.