Ever Burning Lamps: An Enduring Ancient Mystery
Fire, or ‘Agni’, as we call it has played the most crucial role in the development of human civilization through the ages. It was the discovery of fire by accident by the early that humanity has evolved till now.
Fire played a very important part in the lives of early humans. It gave them heat, a source to cook their food, a source of light to see in the dark as what lay ahead; and most importantly, it was a protection against enemies, both, man and animal. The fire was also a catalyst in the rapid development of civilization.
As mentioned earlier, control of fire was a turning point in the technological evolution of human civilization. As it was the fire that provided a source of warmth and lighting, protection from predators at night, and a way to create more advanced tools for various purposes.
As time and civilization evolved, the true portent of fire was realized. Gradually, societies began to be formed and early man settled down as more and more inventions and discoveries were made. Slowly people started worshipping the forces of nature like wind, rain, storms, gale, cyclones, fire etc. With fire taking the primary place of worship in many cultures around the world. India, being one of the first among them. In Indian mythology and culture, fire has played a very significant role in shaping the history and culture of India. ‘Agni Dev’, of the ‘Fire-God’ has been worshipped since ancient times and is still being done in many diverse cultures of India. Not only this, the legend of fire has played a very important role in Indian mythological stories. Right from when Goddess ‘Sati’ jumped into the fire for not being allowed to be with Lord Shiva, to the very religious devotee, ‘Prahlad’, being taken into the lap of his aunt, Holika in a blazing pyre. This legend even further states that ‘Holika’ was given a boon by Lord Brahma that she will never be harmed by fire. But the moment she stepped into the blazing fire with ‘Prahlad’ on her lap, she was burnt to ashes! Or, the most enduring mythological story is that of ‘Mother Sita’, giving proof of her chastity by jumping into the fire. There are many more stories where fire-god or ‘Agni-Dev’ has played a pivotal role in Indian Mythology.
Now, it is not only in India but around the globe, that fire has played a very significant role in cultures and societies of the world. For instance, in Greek Mythology, Prometheus stole fire from the Gods at Mount Olympus and gave it to humans. Similarly, in Celtic mythology, ‘Bel’ and ‘Brighid’ are fire deities. ‘Pele’ in Hawaiian mythology, is the fire goddess and is attributed to the eruption of volcanoes and hot lava. ‘Vesta’, in Roman mythology was worshipped as the goddess of fire. There are many more fire gods and goddesses in world mythologies who have played a very important role in the development of their civilizations.
Now, we all know that for fire to burn there should be certain factors like the availability of combustible materials, enough supply of fire oxidizers etc. What if I told you that today we are going to find out that there are lamps that have been burning through ancient times till now with the support of combustibles or oxygen! Hard to believe, isn’t it? Let’s find out.
Throughout the history of human civilization, there have been stories and myths of ever-burning lamps. The stories come from far corners of the earth. Whether they are from Asia, America, South America, Africa, Europe, they have fascinated us and have been key factors in understanding the various cultural practices and beliefs of the ancient world. Did you know that the Jewish festival of Hanukkah is commemorated by lighting a lamp with oil enough for one day but it burns miraculously for eight days with a resupply of oil! Isn’t this interesting? Similarly, Plutarch, in his work ‘De Defectu Oraculorum’, describes a burning lamp that burned over the Temple of Jupiter Ammon in Egypt! Also, according to Plutarch, the priests claimed that this lamp burned in open-air despite winds, rain etc. Another example is that of The Great Temple that a burning lamp can be found in the altar of the Temple of Apollo Carneus, at Cyrene, and also at the Great Temple of Aderbain in Armenia. Furthermore, it is believed that Numa Pompilius, the legendary second king of Rome, was able to communicate directly with the gods. He was able to do this because it is believed that he had created a light that burned perpetually in a temple. It is also believed that he had dedicated this to some elemental being. Yet another legend tells of Saint Augustine mentioning an ever-burning lamp in an Egyptian Temple dedicated to Venus. He further goes on to say that this lamp was the work of the Devil!
There are many such similar stories from the ancient world that would seem strange, mysterious, amazing and simply surprising to you
“Tomb of Pallas”: it was the tomb of a son of the local king of a province in Italy, it is said that in the year 140 C.E. when the tomb was opened, the people were astonished to find a single lamp burning near the corpse! Naturally, the locals were frightened and they tried to extinguish the lamp by blowing air and pouring water over. But it still went on burning! Until, they realized that they could only extinguish the lamp by emptying the mysterious liquid in the vessel of the lamp, which they did and were finally successful in extinguishing the lamp.
A Lamp lit for 550 Years!: This seems just incredible! But according to legends, during the reign of Justinian, a troop of soldiers stumbled upon a lamp with inscriptions on it claiming that this lamp had been lit 550 years ago! The soldiers could not believe that this lamp was still burning so brightly all these years!
The Lamp of Yorkshire: According to historical records, King Henry VIII, when in 1534, ordered the breakaway from Roman Catholic Church, he ordered the destruction and dissolution of many old monasteries and tombs in England. It was in Yorkshire, in the tomb of the father of Constantine, one of the Catholic kings, a burning lamp was discovered. It was burning for more than 1200 years as Constantine’s father had died in 300 A.D!
Burning Lamp of Rome: During the time of Pope Paul III, in 1540, a burning lamp was found in an ancient tomb on the Appian Way at Rome. This tomb was believed to be that of Tulliola, daughter of the great Roman Statesman, Cicero. She is said to have died in 44 B.C. The strange part was this lamp was still burning fiercely for as long as 1,600 years!
Lamp in the Tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang: Not only in Europe but tales of ever-burning lamps have been popular in Asia also. There have historical records that claim that one such lamp is still burning in his tomb. Though his tomb has not yet been discovered, so it’s still a mystery!
The Enduring Lamp of Grenoble, France: In the mid 17th century, a young man accidentally stumbled upon an ancient tomb in the Grenoble Province of France, where he discovered a glass lamp that had been burning brightly for as long as how many years nobody knows. So he brought the glass lamp to a monastery. It was here that it was discovered that this glass lamp had been burning for over a thousand years! Unfortunately, it got extinguished by accident when it fell from the hands of a monk and broke.
The Enigmatic Jwala at Jwalaji Temple, Himachal Pradesh, India: This temple is located in the town of Jwalamukhi, in Himachal Pradesh India. It has a reputation of a constantly burning blue flame that comes from rocks in various places within the temple! As Jwala means flame; this flame has been eternally burning for how many years, or what is its origin, nobody knows! Some people claim that it has been burning since the beginning of known history.
Now, it may sound interesting to you but modern technology cannot create an ever-burning lamp! Then how did the ancients achieve perfection of creating an ever-burning lamp that could not be extinguished for even a thousand years? There have many theories relating to this. Some claim that it is the work of ‘The Devil’, while attributing it to ‘Alien Gods’. Well, whatever, the reason may be, till the time no conclusive proof emerges, it will remain as an enduring mystery to all of us.