Editing Oil lamp (section)

==Regional variations==
{{More citations needed section|date=September 2015}}

==={{anchor|Land of Israel/Palestine region}}Land of Israel/Palestine region===
*[[Jerusalem]] oil lamp: The clay has a characteristic black color because it was burned without oxygen. Usually of high quality.{{citation needed|date=August 2020}}
*Daroma oil lamp
*[[Jerash]] oil lamp
*[[Nabatean]] oil lamp
*[[Herodian]] oil lamp: Considered to be used mainly by Jews. Wheel-made, rounded, and have a nozzle with concave sides. The lamps are usually not decorated; if there is decoration, it tends to be simple. Very common throughout all of [[Judea]], and some lamps have also been found in [[Jordan]]. Date from the 1st century BC to the end of the 1st century AD.
*[[Menorah (Temple)|Menorah oil lamp]], seven nozzles: Rare and are associated with Judaism because of the numerical connection with the seven branches or arms of the Menorah.
*[[Samaritan]] oil lamp: Characterized by a sealed filling hole, which was to be broken by the buyer. This was probably done to ensure ritual purity. They have a wider spout, and the concavities flanking the nozzle are almost always emphasized with a ladder pattern band. In general, the lamps are uncoated. The decorations are linear or geometric.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Sussman |first=Varda |date=1983 |title=The Samaritan Oil Lamps from Apollonia-Arsuf |url=http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1179/tav.1983.1983.1.71 |journal=Tel Aviv |language=en |volume=10 |issue=1 |pages=71–96 |doi=10.1179/tav.1983.1983.1.71 |issn=0334-4355|url-access=subscription }}</ref>
**Type I: A distinct channel runs from the pouring hole to the nozzle. They have a small knob handle, a ladder pattern around the nozzle and no ornamentation on the bottom of the base.
**Type II: Pear-shaped and elongated, with a lined channel that extends from the filling hole to the nozzle. Continued to be used up to the early Muslim period.
*Candle Stick oil lamp: Menorah design on the nozzle and [[bunch of grapes]] on the shoulders.
*Byzantine oil lamp: The upper parts and their handles are covered with braided patterns. All are made of a dark orange-red clay. A rounded bottom with a distinct X or cross appears inside the circled base.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ancient Oil Lamps, Archeology and Anthropology Collections, Library - Wesleyan University |url=https://www.wesleyan.edu/libr/collections/arch-anth/highlights/ancient_oil_lamps.html |access-date=2024-06-17 |website=www.wesleyan.edu}}</ref>
*Early Islamic oil lamp: Large knob handle and the channel above the nozzle are the dominant elements of these. The handle is tongue-shaped, and decoration is rich and elegant. The lower parts are extremely broad and the nozzles are pointed.

[[File:Hanging Lamps 1.JPG|thumbnail|Lamps in a temple at [[Wayanad]], Kerala, India]]

=== India ===
[[Image:Diya.jpg|thumb|A basic earthen oil lamp used for [[Diwali]]]]

In [[Vedic period|Vedic times]], fire was kept alive in every household in some form and carried with oneself while migrating to new locations. Later, the presence of fire in the household or a religious building was ensured by an oil lamp. Over the years various rituals and customs were woven around an oil lamp.

For {{lang|sa-Latn|Deep Daan}}, the gift of a lamp was and still is believed to be the best {{lang|hi-Latn|daan}} ('donation'). During marriages, spinsters of the household stand behind the bride and groom, holding an oil lamp to ward off evil. The presence of an oil lamp is an important aspect of ritual worship (the {{lang|sa-Latn|Shodashopachar Puja}}) offered to a deity. Moreover, a day is kept aside for the worship of the lamp in the busy festival calendar, on one {{lang|sa-Latn|amavasya}} (moonless) day in the month of [[Shravana (month)|Shravan]]. This reverence for the deep is based on the symbolism of the journey from darkness and ignorance to light and the knowledge of the ultimate reality – "{{lang|sa-Latn|tamaso ma jyotirgamaya}}".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Olivelle |first=Patrick |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=f9-2jV7sRuEC&pg=PR9 |title=Upaniṣads |date=1998 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-283576-5 |pages=12–13 |language=en}}</ref>

Earlier lamps were made out of stone or seashells. The shape was like a circular bowl with a protruding beak. Later, they were replaced by earthen and metal lamps. In the epics ''[[Ramayana]]'' and ''[[Mahabharata]]'', there are references to gold and silver lamps as well. The simple shape evolved and the lamps were created in the shapes of the {{lang|hi-Latn|matsya}} ('fish'), {{lang|hi-Latn|kurma}} ('tortoise') and other incarnations of god [[Vishnu]]. Lamps were also created in the shape of the many emblems of gods, like [[conch]] shells or [[lotus flower|lotuses]]. Birds such as swans, peacocks, or parrots, and animals like snakes, lions, elephants and horses were also favorites when decorating a lamp. For lighting multiple lamps, wooden and stone {{lang|hi-Latn|deepastambhas}} ('towers of light') were created.

[[File:Lighting-a-lamp.jpg|thumb|Lighting of a {{lang|ta-Latn|Kuthuvilakku}}]]
Erecting a {{lang|hi-Latn|deepastambha}} in front of a temple is still a general practice in western and southern India. In some of the South Indian temples, raised brass lamp towers called {{lang|hi-Latn|Kamba Vilakku}} can be seen. To adapt the design to households and smaller spaces, the {{lang|hi-Latn|deepavriksha}} ('tree of light') was created. As the name suggests, it is a metal lamp container with curvi-linear{{Vague|reason=unknown meaning|date=August 2020}} lines branching out from the base, each holding a lamp. The {{lang|hi-Latn|Deepalakshmi}} is another common design, where the goddess Lakshmi holds the lamp in her hands. {{lang|hi-Latn|Kuthuvilakku}} is another typical lamp traditionally used for household purposes in South India.

Oil lamps also were included in [[proverbs]]. For example, a Bradj (pre-Hindi) proverb says, "{{lang|gu-Latn|Chiraag tale andhera}}", 'the [utmost] darkness is under the oil-lamp ({{lang|gu-Latn|chiraag}})', meaning that what you seek could be close but unnoticed (right under your nose or feet), in various senses (a lamp's container casts a strong shadow).