Diya Oil Lamp
The diya is the small clay oil lamp of the Indian subcontinent, a shallow bowl of baked earth filled with ghee or oil and fitted with a cotton wick, lit during worship and festivals. Its name comes from the Sanskrit deepa, meaning lamp, and the rows of little lamps called deepavali gave Diwali its name, the 'row of lights' that greets the goddess Lakshmi at the new moon and celebrates the victory of light over darkness. A diya is lit at the evening arti in Hindu homes, placed at the feet of the deities, on doorsteps and on the thresholds of shops, and floated on rivers during the festivals of