Pooja & MandirPooja & Mandir

This chamber is for the corner of the home that holds the most light. The candles here are hand-poured in pure soy wax and shaped after the things that already live there: terracotta-red diyas with a carved lattice rim, little red matkis hand-painted with a green and yellow vine border, flower-shaped urlis with a gold rim, a cream and caramel shankh dressed with lotus blooms, and a layered lotus in green and red or coral pink.

They are decorative candles, not pooja samagri. Many families keep a ghee or oil diya for the aarti itself; these sit beside it on the mandir shelf, line the steps on Diwali night, or bring a steady flame to a flat where an oil lamp is not practical. As with any flame, keep them clear of cloth and flowers, and never leave one burning unattended.

They also make a thoughtful Diwali gift for parents and grandparents, the kind that goes straight into the mandir. A shankh with a lotus, or diyas with a pair of urlis, sit well together in a gift chest, packed to royal packaging standards.