Striking heavyweight vintage Deccan / Diya temple oil lamp with Hamsa bird finial, dating from around the middle of the century.

Lamps like this are commonly found in temple sanctuaries and burn a fragrant oil using a wick that hangs out of the bowl.

Nice patina and in good order.

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The hamsa is a mythical aquatic bird, often associated with a goose or a swan, which represents perfect union and balance in life. "Its name is derived from the exhalation of the Sanskrit sound 'ham' and the inhalation of 'sa', together constituting the return of the life force to brahman, its cosmic source." Oppi Untracht, Traditional Jewellery of India, London, 2008, p. 266.