By infusing the materiality of bronze and brass, the ‘sthapati’ has presented the remarkable object of an oil lamp that is both aesthetically pleasing to behold as well as religiously functional to use. Impressively tall yet easily accessible, this portable object is multi-tiered: from the bottom, we see various lotus’ acting as a base of different sections, culminating to the wicks, and finally, the image of Ganesha on the top. The figure of the pot bellied god has been finely sculpted, detailing his famous attributes of the goad, noose, broken tooth, and ‘modaka’ or sweet.
The ‘deepam’ has been part of Indian and Hindu households for centuries; its lighting has symbolised the extinguishing of the negative tendencies of the ego and ignorance, and the welcoming of wisdom and knowledge into the household. By juxtaposing the image of he who removes all obstacles from the path of the righteous, the ‘sthapati’ has creatively visualised the philosophy of Hinduism in such an ornate manner. The vessel channels the energy of Shakti, and the flame itself cleanses the soul of the devout – fire as an attribute has been associated with various deities, most notably Shiva as Nataraja, who holds it in his left hand (and also dances under a ring of fire in several iconic depictions like this).
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