Maharashtra’s Kandil Craft: The Lanterns That Light Up Diwali

Kandil or lantern making is a delicate hand intensive art practised by generations of Maharashtrians. These intricately designed, colourful lanterns found decorating homes across India during Diwali are made in Maharashtra.

Using scraps of bamboo, fabric, wood coloured paper, metallic wires and other decorative elements, the lantern designs are based on geometrical shapes of eight squares, eight rectangles and eight triangles. The lantern making has, today, got commercialised and despite being imported from China, there are a few families in Maharashtra who continue to learn and make these at home from scratch.