Traditional Ghee Lamps

How to Light a Ghee Lamp (Diya)

A simple, meditative ritual — clarified butter, a hand-rolled cotton wick, and a small clay bowl. Written for someone who has never done it before. Yield is given in lamps rather than portions.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 clay diya (small unglazed earthenware lamp, roughly the size of a large tablespoon)
• 1 tablespoon ghee (clarified butter), solid or melted
• 1 cotton wool ball or a length of raw cotton wick
• 1 match or a long taper
• 1 heatproof plate, tray or metal thali to stand the lamp on

STEPS

1. If your 1 clay diya (small unglazed earthenware lamp, roughly the size of a large tablespoon) is brand new and unglazed, submerge it in cold water. Fired clay is porous and will drink ghee straight out of the bowl otherwise, leaving you with a lamp that sputters and a greasy ring on the table. Skip this step for a lamp you've used before.
2. Take the lamp out and dry it inside and out with a cloth, then leave it to air. It must be completely dry before ghee goes anywhere near it — water and hot fat don't get along.
3. Take your 1 cotton wool ball or a length of raw cotton wick (batti) and roll it between clean, dry palms into a firm cylinder about the thickness of a matchstick and roughly 5 cm long. Firm is the operative word: a loose, fluffy wick burns too fast and smokes. Pinch one end to a slight point — that's the end you'll light. Ready-made cotton battis from an Indian grocer save you the bother.
4. Spoon 1 tablespoon ghee (clarified butter), solid or melted, into the bowl of the lamp. If your ghee is solid at room temperature — which it usually will be in a British kitchen — that's fine; it melts within a minute of lighting. Fill to just below the rim, leaving the little pinched lip or spout clear.
5. Lay the wick into the ghee so that most of its length is submerged and soaking, with the pointed tip resting up on the lip of the lamp, projecting about 5 mm clear. Press it gently down into the fat. Wait a moment for the ghee to wick up the cotton — a dry wick will light, flare and go straight out.
6. Set the lamp on your 1 heatproof plate, tray or metal thali to stand the lamp on, out of any draught. Hold the 1 match or a long taper to the exposed tip of the wick until it catches. Expect a brief, uncertain, guttering flame while the ghee near the tip warms and starts to draw. Don't panic and don't blow on it — within fifteen or twenty seconds it settles into a steady, still, tall teardrop of flame with almost no smoke.
7. A lamp filled with a tablespoon of ghee burns for around 45 minutes to an hour. If the flame shrinks, nudge a little more of the wick up over the lip with a matchstick. Top up with ghee if you want it to burn longer. Never leave a lit lamp unattended, and keep it well clear of curtains, paper and loose fabric.
8. Traditionally a diya is left to burn itself out rather than being blown out. If you do need to put it out, smother it with a metal spoon or a lid rather than blowing — blowing is considered disrespectful in most Hindu households, and it also flings hot ghee about. Let the clay cool completely before handling.

NOTES

Why ghee and not oil?

Ghee burns cleaner and slower than most vegetable oils, with a warmer light and very little soot. Sesame or mustard oil are also traditional. Standard vegetable oil works at a pinch but smells less pleasant.

A note on context:

The lamp is not really decorative. Lighting it is an offering, and it marks a threshold — of a day, a home, a festival like Diwali, or a prayer. In the photograph you've shared, the lamp sits amid marigold petals, betel leaves, uncooked rice and fruit, which is a puja arrangement: the flame is one element of an offering rather than the whole of it. If you're lighting one as a guest in someone's home or at a temple, it's worth simply asking what they'd like you to do — the gesture is usually welcomed warmly.