A lota ( hi, लोटा, or, ଲୋଟା/ନୋଟା, ur, لوٹا) is a type of spouted

globular A globular cluster is a spheroidal conglomeration of stars. Globular clusters are bound together by gravity, with a higher concentration of stars towards their centers. They can contain anywhere from tens of thousands to many millions of member ...

(round), small-sized vessel made of brass, copper or plastic used in the

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a list of the physiographic regions of the world, physiographical region in United Nations geoscheme for Asia#Southern Asia, Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian O ...

since at least the 2nd millennium BC. In

Dharmic religions Indian religions, sometimes also termed Dharmic religions or Indic religions, are the religions that originated in the Indian subcontinent. These religions, which include Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, and Sikhism,Adams, C. J."Classification of ...

, the copper lota has a sacred usage, such as in a

yagna Yajna ( sa, यज्ञ, yajña, translit-std=IAST, sacrifice, devotion, worship, offering) refers in Hinduism to any ritual done in front of a sacred fire, often with mantras.SG Nigal (1986), Axiological Approach to the Vedas, Northern Book ...

ritual during puja prayers,

wedding A wedding is a ceremony where two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes. Most wedding ceremonies involve an exchange of marriage vo ...

s and other sacred ceremonies. According to the ancient Indian/Hindu-origin traditional medicine system of

ayurveda Ayurveda () is an alternative medicine system with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent. The theory and practice of Ayurveda is pseudoscientific. Ayurveda is heavily practiced in India and Nepal, where around 80% of the population repo ...

, drinking water stored in the copper lota has health and nutritional benefits.11 Amazing Healing Benefits of Drinking Water in a Copper Vessel

NDTV New Delhi Television Ltd is an Indian news media company focusing on broadcast and digital news publication. The company is considered to be a legacy brand that pioneered independent news broadcasting in India, and is credited for launching t ...

, 6 July 2018. Its regional variations include bodna ( bn, বদনা) in the

Bengali language Bengali ( ), generally known by its endonym Bangla (, ), is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language native to the Bengal region of South Asia. It is the official, national, and most widely spoken language of Bangladesh and the second m ...

and

kindi Kindi may refer to: *Al-Kindi (surname) *Kindi Department, department of Boulkiemdé, Burkina Faso **Kindi, Kindi, its capital *Kindi, Andemtenga, a town in Andemtenga Department, Burkina Faso *Kindi (Tanzanian ward), Moshi Rural district, Kilimanj ...

in the state of

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

Archaeology

Early examples of ''lota'' and ''kindi'' first appear in Chalcolithic period cultures of South Asia, notably in Savalda Culture and two well-preserved examples from

Jorwe culture The Jorwe culture was a Chalcolithic archaeological culture which existed in large areas of what is now Maharashtra state in Western India, and also reached north into the Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh. It is named after the type site of Jorwe. ...

pottery dating back to 2nd millennium BC.

Design

Review and reactions

American designers

Charles and Ray Eames Charles Eames ( Charles Eames, Jr) and Ray Eames ( Ray-Bernice Eames) were an American married couple of industrial designers who made significant historical contributions to the development of modern architecture and furniture through the work of ...

in their ''

The India Report The India Report was prepared by Charles Eames and Ray Eames in 1958. The Government of India had asked for recommendations on a programme of training in design that would serve as an aid to the small industries; and that would resist the present ...

'' expressed a great admiration for the lota, saying about its

design A design is a plan or specification for the construction of an object or system or for the implementation of an activity or process or the result of that plan or specification in the form of a prototype, product, or process. The verb ''to design'' ...

, "Of all the objects we have seen and admired during our visit to India, the Lota, that simple vessel of everyday use, stands out as perhaps the greatest, the most beautiful."

Regional names and other variations

West Bengal West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fourt ...

and parts of

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

, the term ''bôdnā'' ( bn, বদনা) describes spouted (teapot-like) vessels, and the vessels used for puja are called ''ghôt'' or ''ghôti'', while ''lotā'' is used for bath mugs, . In

Odisha Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of ...

, vessels without the spout is also known as lota.Daniel Miller, 1985
Artefacts as Categories: A Study of Ceramic Variability in Central India
pages 126–130. They are also known as ''Jharis'' and ''Achaman Jharis'' (utensils with spouts) in

Hindi Belt The Hindi Belt, also known as the Hindi Heartland, is a linguistic region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern and western India where various Central Indo-Aryan languages subsumed under the term 'Hindi' (for example, by the In ...

and

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

in northern and western India, used for prayer rituals. It is also known as ''Mooku sombu'' and ''Pal Kindi'' used as milk feeder for babies in southern parts of India.

Usage

Idioms and literature

In some parts of South Asia, the use of the phrase "bependi ka lota" (a "lota without a base") is colloquially used to refer to a person who may switch their loyalties. This comes from the observation that a spherical lota without a base tends to roll over in unpredictable directions when kept on uneven ground. The

neologism A neologism Greek νέο- ''néo''(="new") and λόγος /''lógos'' meaning "speech, utterance"] is a relatively recent or isolated term, word, or phrase that may be in the process of entering common use, but that has not been fully accepted int ...

" wikt:lotacracy, lotacracy" was coined in Pakistan to describe

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

s who would switch

parties A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often feature ...

Health

According to the ancient Indian/Hindu-origin traditional medicine system of

, drinking water stored in the copper lota has health and nutritional benefits. It is used for Jala neti, a traditional

Ayurvedic Ayurveda () is an alternative medicine system with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent. The theory and practice of Ayurveda is pseudoscientific. Ayurveda is heavily practiced in India and Nepal, where around 80% of the population rep ...

and Yogic practice that is used for cleansing the nose and sinus passages through nasal irrigation. Often popularly known as "Neti pot".

Holy rituals

In the Indian-origin religions, the lota is a multipurpose utensil. It is also used in the sacred rituals, such as

, puja prayers, wedding and other sacred ceremonies.

Ritual cleansing

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;;;;; ...

, the lota is employed to cleanse oneself. In Bengali, the term ''lotā'' is used for bath mugs. People of the South Asia diaspora may use

watering can A watering can (or watering pot) is a portable container, usually with a handle and a funnel, used to water plants by hand. It has been in use since at least A.D. 79 and has since seen many improvements in design. Apart from watering plants, it ha ...

s, empty bottles or cups for cleansing purpose. Muslims use lota for the '' istinja'' cleansing rituals, such as ''

wudu Wuḍūʾ ( ar, الوضوء ' ) is the Islamic procedure for cleansing parts of the body, a type of ritual purification, or ablution. The 4 Fardh (Mandatory) acts of ''Wudu'' consists of washing the face, arms, then wiping the head and the feet ...

'', bath and

anal cleansing Anal hygiene or anal cleansing refers to hygienic practices that are performed on a person's anus, usually shortly after defecation. Post-defecation cleansing is rarely discussed academically, partly due to the social taboo. The scientific objec ...

Citations

External links

{{commons category
Bodna Nai
��Music video depicting the extinction of the bodna from urban Bangladesh
The Lota Blog
��A comedic blog about the use and application of the lota in modern times
Nuevos Habitos
��An artist dedicated to lota and other stuff

- HOW TO USE A LOTA: THE SECRET TO ISLAMIC HYGIENE. Drinkware Indian culture Liquid containers