Light of Devotion.

• Author: Bolon, Carol Radcliffe.
• Place / Publishing House: Oxford : : Archaeopress,, 2022.; ©2022.
• Year of Publication: 2022
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (144 pages)

This in-depth study of the medieval oil lamps of Kerala and beyond considers these art objects as primary sources for a broader discussion on the ritual use of Hindu oil lamps, their related and unique cultural history, their motifs, style and subject matter. From an understudied region, many of the pieces presented are previously unpublished.

Table of Contents

Cover -- Map -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Contents Page -- Acknowledgements -- Note on names of towns -- Art of Devotion -- Collections -- Festivals -- Bibliography -- Inscriptions -- Dating difficulties -- Figure 1. Rama, Sita and Lakshmana, Kerala, c. 12th century, 6.5 inches, Collection of the late Dinesan Natesan, Bengaluru -- Figure 2. Oil lamp, Egypt, Mamluk period, c. 1360, Freer Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. F1957.19 -- Figure 3. Wall of lamps, Mahadeva temple, Ettumanar, Kerala, -- Figure 4. Metal shop employee inscribing a new kindi, Mannar, Kerala -- Figure 5. Tree--shaped lamp, inscribed 1555, Denver Museum of Art, Colorado, height 25 inches, diameter 15 in, Gift in Life Trust from Mrs. Irene Littledale Downs in memory of William H. Downs, acc. no. 1964.8A-E. Photo Courtesy Denver Art Museum -- Figure 6. cleaning disassembled oil lamp -- Classification -- Names of Some Oil Lamps -- Stationary Lamps -- Suspension Lamps -- Portable Lamps -- Suspension Lamps -- Archaeological Museum, Dadigama, Sri Lanka, elephant-shaped oil lamp -- Gaja/elephant-shaped lamps -- CSMVS, Mumbai, elephant-shaped lamp found at Jogeshvari, Maharashtra -- Thrissur State Museum elephant-shaped oil lamp from Thripunithura, Kerala -- Kuthira Maliga Museum, Thiruvananthapuram, elephant-shaped oil lamp -- Vimana vilakku/ Temple model-shaped lamps -- Gaja Lakshmi -- Mythic Depictions -- Non-mythic suspension lamps -- Figure 7. Shasta riding his elephant vehicle, Chola, Government Museum Chennai, -- Figure 8. Pooram festival, Kerala -- Figure 9. Elephant-shaped suspension oil lamp, Dadigama, Sri Lanka, c. 1100-1150, Archaeological Museum, Dadigama, acc. no. 2.12 -- Figure 10. hydrostatic oil release.

Figure 11. Elephant-shaped suspension oil lamp with chain figures, Jogeshvari, c. 1100-1150, CSMVS, acc. no. B84. Courtesy of the Trustees of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalya -- Figure 12. Chain detail figure 11 -- Figure 13. Chain figures detail figure 11 -- Figure 14. Elephant-shaped suspension oil lamp, Thrissur State Museum 10/3, Department of Archaeology, Kerala -- Figure 15. Elephant-shaped suspension oil lamp, Thrissur State Museum 10/4, Department of Archaeology, Kerala -- Figure 16. Temple elephant with caparison jewelry and kolam, Kerala -- Figure 17. Elephant-shaped suspension oil lamp with Shiva, Kuthira Maliga Museum, Thiruvananthapuram -- Figure 18. Temple-shaped suspension oil lamp, Thrissur State Museum 10/34, Department of Archaeology, Kerala -- Figure 19. Arjuna and Shiva hunting a boar, detail of Figure 18 -- Figure 20. Temple-shaped suspension oil lamp, Thrissur State Museum 10/2, Department of Archaeology, Kerala -- Figure 21. Temple-shaped suspension oil lamp, Thrissur State Museum 10/1, Department of Archaeology, Kerala -- Figure 22. Deity in sanctum, detail of Figure 21, Thrissur State Museum 10/1 Department of Archaeology, Kerala -- Figure 23. Vadakunathan Shiva temple, Thrissur, Kerala -- Figure 24. Temple-shaped suspension oil lamp, Nepal, 19th century, Courtesy of the Trustees of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalya, 22.2316, 21.75 by 13.5 inches, Sir Ratan Tata Art Collection -- Figure 25. Gaja Lakshmi suspension oil lamp, Thrissur State Museum 10/36 (reverse of Figure 26), Department of Archaeology, Kerala -- Figure 26. Shiva Kudumban suspension oil lamp, Thrissur State Museum 10/36 (reverse of Figure 25), Department of Archaeology, Kerala.

Figure 27. Krishna Fluting, suspension oil lamp, British Museum 1880.4063, (reverse of Figure 28), height 12.5 inches by diameter 10.75, Gift of Richard Payne Knight in 1824, Photo courtesy British Museum -- Figure 28. Gaja Lakshmi, suspension oil lamp, British Museum 1880.4063 (reverse of Figure 27), Photo courtesy British Museum -- Figure 29. Gaja Lakshmi, part of a suspension oil lamp, Thrissur State Museum 12/12 (reverse of Figure 30), Department of Archaeology, Kerala -- Figure 30. Processional scene, part of a suspension oil lamp, Thrissur State Museum 12/12 (reverse of Figure 29), Department of Archaeology, Kerala -- Figure 31. Gaja Lakshmi suspension oil lamp, Thrissur State Museum 10/5 (reverse of Figure 32), Department of Archaeology, Kerala -- Figure 32. Foliate design on suspension oil lamp, Thrissur State Museum 10/5 (reverse of Figure 31), Department of Archaeology, Kerala -- Figure 33. Gaja Lakshmi suspension oil lamp, Napier Museum, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, 322 -- Figure 34. Gaja Lakshmi suspension oil lamp, c.14th century, height 15 inches, Natesan Collection, Mumbai -- Figure 35. Padmanabhaswamy suspension oil lamp, Thrissur State Museum 10/35, Department of Archaeology, Kerala -- Figure 36. Foliate design on reverse, Thrissur State Museum 10/35 (reverse of Figure 35), Department of Archaeology, Kerala -- Figure 37. Postcard of Padmanabha in Padmanabhaswamy temple sanctum, Thiruvananthapuram, length 18 feet -- Figure 38. Padmanabha suspension oil lamp, Honolulu Museum of Art, 14th century, height 15.25 inches, diameter 12 inches, Gift of Christensen Fund, 2001 (10773.1) (reverse of Figure 39) Photo courtesy Honolulu Museum of Art, Hawaii -- Figure 39. Vishnu on Garuda, suspension oil lamp, Honolulu Museum of Art (reverse of 38) -- Figure 40. Padmanabha carved on wood temple part, Vijayaraghavan collection, Chennai.

Figure 41. Procession scene carved on wood temple part, Vijayaraghavan collection, Chennai -- Figure 42. Shri Poornathrayesa, temple base stone relief figure of Shri Poornathrayesa -- Figure 43. Padmanabhaswamy, suspension oil lamp, British Museum 1880.1610 (reverse of Figure 45), Photo courtesy of British Museum -- Figure 45. Rama suspension oil lamp, British Museum 1880.1610 (reverse of Figure 43), Photo courtesy British Museum -- Figure 44. Bhudevi, c. 14th century, height 10 5/8 inches, Bhansali collection, New Orleans -- Figure 46. Mounted horse suspension oil lamp, Padmanabhapuram Palace, Thiruvananthapuram, 18th century -- Figure 47. Horse head suspension oil lamp, 19th century, Dakshina Chitra, Chennai -- Figure 48. Kuthu on staff in procession, Photo courtesy of Pepita Seth -- Figure 49. Female acrobat suspension oil lamp, 11 inches, 18th century, Karnataka, Kelkar Museum, Pune -- Figure 50. Mythical parrot suspension oil lamp, Thrissur State Museum 10/16, Department of Archaeology, Kerala -- Figure 51. Lotus suspension oil lamp, height 12.5 inches, Thrissur State Museum 10/11, Department of Archaeology, Kerala -- Figure 52. (Detail of Figure 51), Thrissur State Museum 10/11 with inscription, Department of Archaeology, Kerala -- Figure 53. Ladies procession with suspension oil lamps, Photo courtesy Pepita Seth -- Stationary Lamps -- Mada vilakku/wall niche lamps -- Vriksha vilakku or Tree-shaped lamps -- Kavara vilakku, branching lamp -- Nila or Kuthu vilakku or stambha -- Lakshmi Deepa/Fortune Lamp -- Kindi, ritual water pot lamp -- Figures 54-57. Wall niche lamps, Vijayaraghavan collection, Chennai -- Figure 60. Wall niche lamp, Dakshina Chitra, Chennai -- Figures 61. Wooden lamp stands for mada, Dakshina Chitra and Vijayaraghavan collections, Chennai -- Figures. 58-59 Wall niche lamps, Vijayaraghavan collection, Chennai.

Figure 63. Tree-shaped oil lamp, Shiva temple, Ernaculum, Photo courtesy Srikumar M. Menon -- Figures 62. Wooden lamp stands for mada, Dakshina Chitra and Vijayaraghavan collections, Chennai -- Figure 64. Deepastambha, 16th century, Mahadeva temple, Ettumanar -- Figure 65. Dharmavijayastambha, Mangalore, Karnataka -- Figure 66. Flagstaff collar detail including Krishna Venugopala and 21 other gods in relief, 15th century, height 5 inches, diameter 13.75 inches, British Museum 1880.1609 Payne Knight Collection, Photo courtesy British Museum -- Figure 67. Deepastambha, Thrissur State Museum, acc. no. 10/33, Department of Archaeology, Kerala -- Figure 68. Tree-shaped ground oil lamp, Sri Mahadeva temple, Sreekovil, Vaikom, Kerala, height 5-6 feet, now retired. -- Figure 69. Tree-shaped ground oil lamp, 13th century, Kerala, height 53 inches width 31 inches Honolulu Museum of Art, HI, Gift of Christensen Fund 2001, acc no. 106.46.1, Photo Shuzo Uemoto -- Figure 70. Krishna fluting, (detail of top portion of Figure 69) -- Figure 71. Tree-shaped ground oil lamp, 14th century, Kerala, height 45.5 in, width 31 inches, Collection of the late Mahadevan Natesan, Bengaluru. -- Figure 72. Gopis at base, (detail of Figure 71) -- Figure 73. Peacock tree-shaped ground oil lamp, height 37.4 inches, Thrissur State Museum, 10/18, Department of Archaeology, Kerala -- Figure 74. Peacock tree-shaped oil lamp, height 48 inches, c. 17-18th century, Thrissur State Museum 10/17, Department of Archaeology, Kerala -- Figure 75. Tree-shaped ground oil lamp, height 4-5 feet, missing crowning element, Kuthira Maliga Museum, Thiruvananthapuram -- Figure 76. Tree-shaped ground oil lamp in temple, Kavara vilakku. -- Figure 77. Branching oil lamp, height 37 inches, Napier Museum, Thiruvananthapuram 110A.

Figure 78. Branching oil lamp, Kumaranallur temple, Kerala, 15th century, height 44 inches, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, 2005.75, Friends of Indian Art and Oak Lodge Foundation in memory of Barbara Hunt, and the Kathleen Boone Samuels Memorial Fund, Phot.