This bronze three-tiered aarti lamp consists of petal-shaped wick holders and a floral-based handle. The wicks of the lamp are soaked in ghee (clarified butter) or camphor and is lighted during worship. The small stick on a chain on the side was probably used to raise the wicks when they became immersed in oil.The aarti lamp is used during the aarti ceremony, which is performed towards the end of worship in a Hindu temple. During the ceremony, the lamp is waved before the deity for the general well-being of everyone, to remove 'drishti' (evil eye) and to establish peace. The lamp is brought to the devotees, who pass their hands over it, and then over their foreheads, symbolically receiving the blessings of God. In the Sri Mariamman Temple, Singapore, such a lamp is found in a round shape.
