Sesame oil, ghee or castor: choosing oil and wicks for your lamp
Which oil burns cleanly, which wick lasts longest, and why some lamps smoke and blacken the wall.
A starter pooja set for a new home, with prices
Lamp, plate, bell and the small things: what a first pooja shelf needs, from about ₹2,500 to ₹7,500.
Families moving into a new flat often ask us for “everything for the pooja shelf”. The honest answer is that you need very little to begin, and you can add pieces over the years. Here is what we suggest, at our counter prices.
The lamp comes first. A 10 inch brass kuthuvilakku with a single face costs about ₹1,450, and the five-face 18 inch lamp is ₹3,850. For a small shelf, the smaller lamp is enough. Add a pair of clay agal diyas for daily lighting, ₹360 for a set of 24 that will last months. A camphor aarti lamp with a handle is ₹650, and a hand bell is ₹890 for the 7 inch size. A copper or brass pooja plate to hold kumkum, turmeric, flowers and a small diya costs from ₹950; our 12 inch embossed copper plate with its own diya and stand is ₹1,950.
The small things finish the set: a kumkum and turmeric box (₹180), a panchapatra and spoon for water (₹420), cotton wicks (₹40 for 200), sesame oil and a box of agarbathi (₹240 for 200 sticks).
A simple set with the smaller lamp comes to about ₹2,500. A fuller set with the five-face lamp and copper plate is about ₹7,500. Tell us the width of your shelf and we will suggest sizes that fit, so nothing crowds the deity’s photo or idol.
