Nilavilakku of Kerala:
In the southern part of India, especially in Kerala is where ‘Nilavilakku’ are commonly found allmost in all kerala households. A door frames in Malayalam is called a Nila (നില) and in Tamil Nilai (நிலை). Since these lamps are traditionally meant to keep at the main entrance of the door which are technically near the Nila (door frame) this lamps get it name Nilavilakku ( Malayalam: നിലവിളക്ക് ; Tamil: நிலைவிளக்கு).
Lighting the Nilavilakku on any occasion is believed to be auspicious. This traditional lamp of Kerala ('nilavilakku') are lit everyday. Even though they have 5 wicks only 2 would be lighted on a daily basis and all the other five wicks are lighted on the special functions and on auspicious occasions like 'Pournami' (full moon day) and other special days. A lamp with five wicks is called 'Bhadradeepam'.
The basics to be followed to light a Nilavilakku;
- Nilavilakku cannot be placed directly on the ground. It could be placed on a plate or flowers or leaves to avoid direct contact with earth.
- Nilavilakku lamps are generally lit both in the mornings and in the evenings. To be precisely before the sunrise and before sun set.
- The ideal way to light a ‘Nilavilakku’ is by joining 2 wicks together. Joining two wick ends together makes a single wick of a Nilavilakku.
- The idea way of lighting a Nilavilakku is during the dawn one wick could be lit facing to the East and in the dawn i.e. before the sunset, lighting 2 wicks- one to the East and other one to the west is tradition. And on the auspicious day 5 wicks are lit each wick facing all four directions (East, West, North South) and the fifth wick facing North-east direction which is called ‘esaanimoola’.
- We can light 1 or 2 or 3 or 5 wicks ('Bhadradeepam') or even 7 wicks at a time in a ‘nilavilakku’ depending on the occasion.
- Once lit, the light could last for “two Nazhiga” i.e. 48 minutes or atleast minimum for ‘one Nazhiga” which is 24 minutes.
- The light could be put down using flowers or by dipping the wick back in to the oil well but not blowing directly.
- In kerala three kinds of oils are used to light any traditional lamps. Ghee, sesame seed oil and Coconut oil. Using Ghee is considered as uttamam.
- The wick and oil from the previous day has to be replaced with fresh wick and oil.
This Nilavilakku has beautiful ribbed design pattern. It is about 100 + years old from Kerala, southern part of India. This lamp could be dismantled in to 3 parts . The base plate (‘Keezhbhagam’) , Pivotal pillar ( ‘Kandam’ ) and "Thattu" (a coil well which is be pretty heavy attached to the crown. Also there is a mention of it’s owner name as ‘P. R. Rama Chandran’.
Interested in checking out Brass Nilavilakku oil lamp? Click the link below;
Thoondamani Vilakku ( Perpetual Lamp):
Thoondamani vilakku is a hanging chain lamp with a swan (annaparavai) at the top and the wick below. The lamp has a large ball shaped oil well (reservoir) in-between the swan and the wick at the bottom in which the ghee was poured in the ancient times.
"Thoondamani Vilakku" is a type of votive lamp commonly found in Hindu temples in South India. Votive offerings are nothing but the voluntary dedications to the gods, like a Vow or a prayer or promises of individuals or communities to God. If the prayer is been answered they would complete their promise.
For example: A promise would be to light a candle or to light a particular number of candles or it could be anything. Likewise in India, in particular towards the South, instead of lighting candles people promise to light Thoondamani vilakku / Nandhaa Vilakku in the temples throughout the year or for a particular period.
Etymology of this Lamp:
Thoondudhal (தூண்டுதல்) in Tamil meaning, touching something. So to not touch something is called Thoonda (தூண்டா ). Since this lamp works by the Capillary action and auto feds oil or ghee from the reservoir in to the lamp to burn continuously without the necessity of adjusting the wick it has got it’s name “Thoondamani Vilakku” (Tamil: தூண்டாமணி விளக்கு).
Also, putting something off is called Nandhudhal (நந்துதல்). As the light of this lamp never dies due to the reservoir keeping it filled all the time, it is named as “Nandhaa Vilakku” (நந்தா விளக்கு) or “Thoonga mani vilakku” (தூங்காமணி விளக்கு) meaning it can burn day and night, the light never sleeps or dies.
There are other names for this lamp like "Thirunundhaa Vilakku" (Tamil: திருநுந்தா விளக்கு), “Nundha Vilakku” (Tamil: நுந்தா விளக்கு), “Nandhaa Vilakku” (Tamil: நந்தா விளக்கு) and “Nondha Vilakku” (Tamil: நொந்தா விளக்கு)
Archeological evidences and Mentions about this lamp in Ancient literatures:
“Nandhaa Vilakku” (நந்தா விளக்கு) has been mentioned multiple times in Sangam literatures ( 300 BCE to 300 CE). References are from Aga-naanooru, Seevagasindhamani, Pattinapalai, Paripaadal and so on.
It is also mentioned as “Nandhaa Vilakku” (Tamil: நந்தா விளக்கு) in 2 Tamil stone inscriptions found in Anuradhapuram, Srilanka which belonged to 10th Century CE.
Also it is mentioned as "Thirunundhaa Vilakku" (Tamil: திருநுந்தா விளக்கு) in many Tamil stone inscriptions and in temples which belonged to Raja Raja chozhan period ( 10th century CE)
In ancient days, to burn these lamps in temple they needed loads of ghee. Therefore, cows were donated for the daily supply of milk to obtain loads of ghee. Proper maintenance of these cows is essential for the continuation of this tradition in the temple.
A historical incident from Chola period;
There are many rock edicts as archeological evidences in Tamizh Nadu for the usage of this this lamp during the 10th century CE in Tamizh Nadu . Here is one historical incident which happened In Chola dynasty during the Raja Raja Chozhan period in 10th Century CE.
Once a troubled women visited a Shivan temple who had many problems in life and took a vow that she would light up the thoondamani vilakku in the Sanctum sanctorum (உண்ணாழிகை / கருவறை) through the year, if her prayer was answered. So she approached the temple priest/ officer whoever is the head of the temple to find out what would be the cost to fulfill such a vow. The temple officer sat down and worked out and came out with an estimation for the amount of ghee required for a whole year and it’s cost. So she offered him the full cost in gold coins to fulfill her vow. This was recorded in the temple ledger by the temple accountant. If the temple officer had gotten the said amount of ghee required to light up that thiondamani vilakku for a year, this story would have never been born. As it was a regular practice in the kingdom then.
But the fate had something more to offer to the Chola people. So somehow this incident came to the ears of the then king Raja Raja Chozhan. And he works out a new plan called “Sava Moova peraadugal thittam” (Tamil: சாவா மூவா பேராடுகள் திட்டம்) meaning a never aging or dying cows or goats. Let’s name it “The Immortal Big Goats”. Here the law mentions the cow as big goats (Peraadugal-பேராடுகள்). King believed that this new plan would benefit both the temple and its people.
There was a farmer’s census in the kingdom who suffered in poverty as they had no farm-land to farm. One of the farmers from the list been summoned to Tanjore palace to experiment the new idea. The King ordered the farmer to deliver exactly one uzhaakku which is aprox 240 ml of ghee to the temple every day as the temple required exactly one uzhaakku of ghee to light up a thoondamani vilakku a day.
So as per the plan “The Immortal Big Goats”, temple officer gets the farmer 96 goats along with one male goat using the gold coins obtained from the lady to fulfill her thoondamani vilakku vow. And the farmer was described the rules and regulations of the King which was part of the plan ‘The Immoral big goats’.
The rules and regulations of the “The immortal big goats” plan;
- The 96 female goats including a male goat will be in the farmer’s account.
- The farmer has to deliver one uzhaaku of ghee (360ml) every day to the temple.
- The farmer has to return the exact number of goats to the temple officer exactly after one year.
- If the farmer wishes to continue the job, he can keep the goats and continue delivering one uzhaakku ghee to the temple every day.
After the Royal meet the happy farmer drove all the goats home and herds them and delivers one uzhaaku of ghee every day to the temple as promised. Within few days the goats gives birth to many and the herd multiplied naturally. The farmer runs the family selling the milk and also sold extra goats when needed. Because now as the herd has multiplied in numbers he was sure that he would be able return the exact number of goats to the temple by the end of the year as promised in the agreement.
A Win- Win situation for all its participants. The lady was happy as her prayers were answered and the thoondamani vilakku in the Sanctum sanctorum (உண்ணாழிகை / கருவறை) was lit throughout the year. The farmer or shepherd was happy as the goats helped him run the family. The temple officer was happy as he would get the exact number of healthy female goats and male goats and baby goats which he could pass on to another farmer or shepherd who have signed the contract for the next year. Thus the idea of “The Immortal Big Goats” (“Sava Moova peraadugal thittam” ; Tamil: சாவா மூவாபேராடுகள்திட்டம்) worked. It was really a Win-Win!!
As we all know the humongous size of the Tanjore big temple built by Raja Raja Chozhan in 10th century, We could only guess the number of lights that it required to light up the whole temple before the invention of electricity 1000 years back. Because of the size of the temple lets assume a requirement of minimum of 100 thoondamani vilakku. So to lit them up daily there should be 9,600 goats in the signed contract of temple which would have been given to 100 farmers / shepherds to make their life easy. And this would have multiplied every year. This new plan “ The immortal big goats’ of King Raja Raja Chozhan raised the economical status of the the people without touching the government treasury.
This became a regular practice in the kingdom for all the future vows of the devotees. People either offered temple the gold coins otherwise they offered 90/ 96 goats or 32 cows along with a bull as offerings to the temples to fulfill their thoondamani vilakku vows. So this incident proves that the thoondamani vilakku was an important element in the lives of people in south India in 10th century.
Click the below link to checkout the Thoondamani vilakku the Perpetual Lamp:
Vishnu Lakshmi Votive Oil Lamp;
Here we have an exemplar of Vishnu Lakshmi votive lamps crafted from brass. These lamps feature stunning hand-carved embellishments, including intricate motifs of the sun and moon on either side of the central "Sricharanam" symbol that represents Lord Vishnu.
Interested in checking out the Vishnu Lakshmi Votive oil lamps ? Click the links below:
Vishnu Lakshmi Votive oil lamp 1
Vishnu Lakshmi Votive oil lamp 2
Aarthi Lamps:
At the core of aarti lies the ritualistic tradition of circulating an aarti plate or lamp around a deity. The term "aarti" originates from the Sanskrit word "aratrika," signifying the removal of darkness. These lamps can be found in both single and multiple layers. Below are examples of the aarti lamps we have encountered.
Interested in checking out Aarthi lamps? Click the links below:
Thattu vilakku (Step Lamp):
Here we have a majestic looking 5 tier oil lamp which is also known as Thattu vilakku or Mandapa vilakku or deepasthambham. ‘Thattu’ in Malayalam meaning ‘layer’. Thattu Vilakku has a very old heritage and it hails from Kerala. Thattu vilakku are found in Namaskara Mandapam of long established temples in Kerala. It is lit with oil or ghee in temples during pooja times. They come in several types, the ancient ones are made of black stone (Karinkallu) and wood and the modern ones are made of metals like bronze, brass, silver and gold.
These kind of Lamps are basically made up of four parts, "Keezhbagam" (base plate), "kandam" (pivotal pillar), a "Thanguli" (a bowl with multiple grooves for holding wicks and oil for lighting), and a "Prabhai" (crown) on the top most layer. Each Thattu vilakku comes with different crowns like annapakshi (Swan), a peacock, a cross, a lion, a tiger, a simple nilavilaku crown, a seated nandhi, garuda or with a Pavai.
Interested in buying the Tattu Vilakku lamp? Click the link below:
Kavara Vilakku (Three Branched lamp):
Here we have a grand looking, collectable three branched brass Kavara Vilakku from Kerala, South of India. It is a special oil lamp with three branches that is specifically used in temple sanctums and in pooja rooms. This is a type of Nilavilakku with 3 heads which branches out from one stem which gives a grand feel for the entire structure. This Kavara Lamp is from early 1900s. All the 3 heads are detachable but they are not of modern day screw type which is a sign of its age and authenticity as an antique piece.
Interested in buying Kavara oil lamp? Click the link below:
Changalavattam Vilakku;
This is an oil lamp called Changalavattam made of brass commonly found in Kerala temples. It is widely utilized during auspicious Hindu religious occasions. It features a lengthy handle at the rear and a small depression in the center for holding oil. Adjacent to the depression is a smaller indentation for lighting the lamp or diya. Additionally, a small spoon bound by a chain is attached to the Changalavattam.
Previously linked with marriage ceremonies, Ashtamangalyam now serves as a decorative item in households, with miniature sets being commonly kept for this purpose.
Interested in buying Changalavattam Oil Lamp? Click the link below:
Kuthuvilakku (Columnar lamp) :
Sengkuthu (செங்குத்து) in Tamil meaning anything standing straight vertical, so Kuthu (Tamil: குத்து) means standing erect and vilakku (விளக்கு) means lamp. So that’s why this lamp is called a kuthuvilakku (Tamil: குத்து விளக்கு). Kuthu vilakku has been in use from the days of the Cholas which is 10th Century CE. Nowadays these kind of lamps are common in Kerala, Tamilnadu and northern Srilanka.
Basically Kuthuvilakku consists of four parts which are screwed together. The base plate is called "Keezhbagam" , the Pivotal pillar is called "kandam", the oil well with five or 7 wicks is called "Thanguli", and the crown is called "Prabhai". Each Kuthu vilakku has different crowns. And there are varieties of kuthuvilakku like Nachiarkoil Kuthuvilakku, Annam kuthuvilakku, Kammalar kuthuvilakku, Annapakshi (Swan), Peacock etc.
Mainly these kind of oil lamps are produced by Pathers also known as Kammalar (Tamil : கம்மாளர்). Kammalar are local artists who live in significant numbers in Natchiyarkovil's Kammalar street in Tamil Nadu who are involved in crafting. That is why these lamps are also known as ‘kammalar Kuthuvilakku’.
The word Kammalar is derived from the Tamil word Kam meaning "art" or "operation". The Kammalar is mentioned in ancient Sangam Literature, mentioning them by the name Kammiyar. Their name is said to be derived from the phrase "one who gives the eyes", referring to their providing the eyes for statues of deities.
The picture attached here is of a small version of kuthu vilakku with a key to adjust the height of the lamp. It is made of brass..
Interested in buying the Kuthuvilakku oil lamp? Click the link below:
Gajalakshmi Hanging Lamp:
Gaja Lakshmi lamps are considered a symbol of good luck and new beginnings, and is commonly found in Indian temples and homes in South India. This lamp is believed to have originated during the Chola dynasty in the 11th century in the southern region of India.
The lamp is suspended by a chain or rope and is often hung in temples and homes during important festivals and auspicious occasions.
In addition to its religious significance, the Gajalakshmi hanging lamp is also considered a work of art. It is a traditional lamp made of brass, with an image of the goddess Lakshmi in the center surrounded by 10 swans (annaparavai / Hamsa) in the prabhavali and two elephants on each sides. It also has a kirtimukha at the top and down to the ring foot where two Yazhis are depicted on either side. As her protective guardians.
It is crafted using the lost wax technique, which has been used for over 5700 years. The lost-wax process, also known as cire-perdue, is a way of making metal objects. First, a wax model is made, which is then put into a mold. The mold is filled with molten metal, which melts the wax and takes its place. The “lost wax” technique is so called because the wax model is destroyed in order to create the piece. The technique is sometimes called the “lost mold” technique because the mold, too, is destroyed in the process.
Today, the Gajalakshmi hanging lamp continues to be a popular decorative item and is often passed down through generations as a family heirloom. It serves as a reminder of the rich cultural and religious traditions of India and is a symbol of prosperity, abundance, and good luck
Interested in buying the Gaja Lakshmi hanging lamp? Click the link below:
Chimney Oil Lamp;
Chimney Oil lamps are wonderful addition to all homes. They come in many different sizes and styles. They are commonly seen in brass, bronze and glasses. They come just with the oil chambers with a long glass chimney at the top to protect the light and some has an additional finger hold. There are options for the floor, table and wall.
The Chimney lamp shown below is a table chimney lamp which has a foot or pedestal lamp attached to the oil chamber with holds the wick. The on top of it comes the long glass chimney. It’s has a wider wick so it gives you a brighter light. This stunning piece is a real antique which is more than 100 years old. This piece of art is made of brass and it was made in Austria. The previous owner’s name is engraved on it as “Kasthur chand aslaaji”.
Interested in buying the Chimney oil lamp? Click the link below:
Paavai Vilakku;
‘Paavai Vilakku’ or a standing lady holding a lamp in brass is a traditional symbol that welcomes every guest in a typical South Indian household. Brass lamps of ‘Paavai vilakku’ is popular for home , weddings and festival decorations.
Here’s a stunning high quality Brass Deepa Lakshmi statue with a parrot on her right shoulder holding a main deepam with multiple wicks around her in two layers.