Lighting oil lamps: A sacred ritual (Photo Feature)

There’s something extremely calming about lighting oil lamps, especially in the serene environment of a religious space. Watching others light the wick is also quite comforting. It’s something I find solace in whenever I feel overwhelmed.

Butter lamps, commonly found around stupas, hold cultural and religious significance in various Buddhist traditions. They symbolize dispelling darkness and ignorance and represent the light of wisdom. Devotees often offer butter lamps as a form of prayer and to generate positive karma.

Recently, I talked to an elderly woman, Chhiring Sherpa, at Boudhanath in Kathmandu. She was lighting oil lamps in memory of her late husband. It was a way for her to remember the good times they shared and offer prayers for his well-being in the afterlife.

In front of the Boudha stupa, someone was readying the materials needed to make the lamps. There was butter (ghee), and cotton wicks with a thin bamboo stick inside them to hold the flame in place. The butter is made from pine trees and is melted into liquid form in a big container and then poured into lamps. After the lamp is burned, workers use prayer flags tied at the stupa for cleaning purposes.

Every day thousands of butter lamps are lit at this place. The price of a single oil lamp ranges from Rs 15 to Rs 15000. The most expensive lamp can be lit for almost a month. The culture of lighting oil lamps has existed for centuries. People today still have faith that lighting oil lamps brings harmony and that all their prayers will be answered.