Changalavatta lamps, popular in South India, were designed with a reservoir and ladle for the oil. The wick rested on the long pan in the front, while the other end served as a handle. Such lamps are used even today, in marriage ceremonies.

The displayed lamp features an inscription, bearing clues to the family it belonged to, and the ladle ends with a serpent head, indicating that the owners’ probably belonged to the Shivaite sect that understood snakes as auspicious symbols of regeneration and Time.