lamp

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Namaste Sidinfomail,Although there is no harm in using electric lamp in front of god, all traditional families use ghee lamp or oil lamp. The use if ghee/oil lamp has lasted thousands of years in India. Oil lamps are commonly used in Hindu temples as well as in home

shrines. Generally the lamps used in temples are circular with places

for five wicks. They are made of metal and either suspended on a chain

or screwed onto a pedestal. There will usually be at least one lamp in

each shrine, and the main shrine may contain several. Usually only one

wick is lit, with all five burning only on festive occasions.In the home shrine, the style of lamp is usually different, containing

only one wick. There is usually a piece of metal that forms the back of

the lamp, which has a picture of a Hindu deity embossed on it. In many

houses, the lamp burns all day, but in other homes, it is lit at

sundown. The lamp in the home shrine is supposed to be lit before any

other lights are turned on at night.A hand-held oil lamp is also used during the Hindu puja

ceremony. In South India, the most common lamp has only one wick,

whereas in the North of India, a five-wick lamp is used, usually fueled

with ghee. On special occasions, various other lamps may be used for puja, the most elaborate having several tiers of wicks.Om Namah Shivayahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puja_%28Hinduism%29