Kandeel

Traditionally, during the Hindu festival of lights, Diwali, these lanterns are placed in front of houses.

The idea of akasha deepa as a "lantern of the sky" or "Akasha Kindil," connected to celestial light and a connection to loved ones, was reinforced in the past by Hindus who would release kindeels into the sky as a symbolic gesture to invite the spirits of their ancestors to return home during the festival.

In the state of Kerala, especially in Fort Kochi, a city in Ernakulam District, it is known as akasha vilakku.

During the Hindu lunar month of 'Kartika', people used to put akasha deepam, colloquially known in the Konkani dialect as panjire, on rooftops, and light them at night until break of dawn in the nights leading up to the Karthika Paurnami (full moon) day or Dev Dewali day.

Opaque papers cut into a complex design give more beauty to a Kandeel by blocking some of the light behind it.