mavillaku

Mavillaku are  edible lamps prepared in south Indian households as an offering to the Gods especially on the very first fridays of two auspicious months called thai and adi ,apart from offering these at homes many belivers walk there way to a temple to lite one ,praying for the good health of their family."mavu" here stands for flour and "villaku" means lamp hence these are prepared with freshly ground rice flour and jaggery and then are filled with ghee.lets have a look on the preparations



Recipe:

• start by soaking 1/2 cup rice for about 20 minutes
• meanwhile pound a peice of jaggery and cardomom to a powder 
• drain the rice and spread over a kitchen towel until 3/4 dry.
• make this into a fine powder and mix the pounded jaggery and cardomom along with this
• remove the shells of cardomom and start mixing everything until a corse dough is formed 
• shape this dough into lamps using some oil  between your fingers ,add wick and oil and light.
• once the light goes out on its own crumble and distribute as prasadam .

Here is a quick video tutorial :

Notes:
These spritual lamps are  also lit on Purattasi Sanikizhamai which are prayers done for Lord Balaji on the saturdays of Purattasi month in Tamil Calendar).

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