★★★★★
Heavier and finer than I expected
Lit it for Kartik Purnima and the shadows on the wall were beautiful. Packaging was excellent.
Ananya R. · Pune · Verified purchase
Cast in the Sadeibereni workshop
Tree of Life Diya
4.8 · 126 reviews
₹3,450
MRP ₹3,900
12% off
Inclusive of all taxes
Each lamp is cast in its own clay mould, which is broken to release it. No two are identical.
- Handmade by artisans
- 7-day returns
- Cash on delivery
Five small oil cups sit at the tips of a spreading tree, the way lamps are hung from trees at village festivals across Odisha. The coiled texture on the trunk is the imprint of the wax threads the artisan wound by hand before casting.
Fill each cup with a little ghee or oil and a cotton wick. It also works as a sculpture on its own.
| Material | Bell metal (brass alloy), cast by the lost-wax method |
|---|---|
| Heights | 18 cm · 24 cm · 32 cm |
| Weight (24 cm) | About 1.1 kg |
| Oil cups | 5, about 8 ml each |
| Origin | Sadeibereni, Dhenkanal, Odisha |
Wipe with a dry cloth. For the burnished finish, rub with a paste of tamarind and salt every few months; the antique finish is meant to darken with age and needs nothing.
Packed in a wooden-frame box with coir padding. Ships in 2 working days; delivery across India takes 3–7 days. Free over ₹1,500.
How a dhokra lamp is cast
The lost-wax method is more than 4,000 years old. Every mould is used once.
Clay core
A rough shape is modelled in clay mixed with rice husk and dried in the sun.
Wax threads
Beeswax is drawn into threads and wound over the core. This makes the coiled pattern.
Mould
The waxed form is sealed in layers of fine then coarse clay, leaving a small channel.
Firing
The mould is heated; the wax melts and runs out, leaving a hollow in its exact shape.
Pouring
Molten bell metal is poured into the hollow and left to cool overnight.
Finishing
The clay is broken away and the lamp is filed, cleaned and finished by hand.
Reviews
4.8 out of 5
126 ratings
★★★★★
Bought the large one for my mother
You can see the thread marks from the wax up close. It feels like it was made by a person, not a factory.
Deepak S. · Bhubaneswar · Verified purchase
★★★★☆
Lovely, slightly smaller cups than pictured
Each cup holds a little less oil than I assumed, so they burn for about an hour. Still very happy with it.
Meera K. · Chennai · Verified purchase