Making Ghee Wicks

Having a good store of quality ghee wicks is essential for every temple and home where worship is conducted. They’re easy to make, with a little practice and the observance of a few simple rules.

Here’s what you will need:

1. Fresh Ghee, which you can purchase from most supermarkets. You should not use ghee which has been used for cooking.
2. A saucepan for melting the ghee. It can be best to keep a saucepan dedicated for this purpose so that the unused ghee can be left to set in the bottom. Otherwise, unused ghee will be wasted as it cannot be used for cooking after having cotton wool balls dropped in it.
3. Surgical cotton wool. Avoid using cotton balls from supermarkets, as their size isn’t well suited to making ghee wicks, so they tend to create a lot of waste. It’s better to use bulk or surgical cotton wool, which is generally made for first aid kits and which you can purchase from most chemists or drug stores.
4. A clean tray or container into which you can place the ghee wicks prior to soaking. They must not be placed on the floor at any time.
5. A clean tray or container into which you can place the ghee wicks after soaking.

Make certain you are clean

You should be clean and wearing freshly laundered cloth when making ghee wicks. Ladies should not make ghee lamps if off the altar.

Rolling the wicks

Begin by melting a couple of cups of fresh ghee in a small saucepan and set it aside to cool a little (you should not handle ghee which is likely to burn your fingers in this process).

Take a piece of cotton wool around the size of a golf ball and work it in on itself so that it forms a small, tight ball – around 1.5 cm or 3/4 inch in diameter. Next, take another piece of cotton wool and stretch it to form a thin circle approximately 6 or 7 cm or almost 3 inches in diameter. Take this and wrap it around the ball and stretch it so that if forms a pocket into which the ball can fit snugly.

The remainder of the outer layer of cotton wool can be used to fashion the pointed end for lighting. Do this by drawing it around the ball firmly and gathering it at the top. Twist the gathered cotton wool between the thumb and index finger with a rolling motion, starting from the base and working towards the end, forming a nice taper as you go. This should produce a firmly packed ball enmeshed in a “skin” which tapers to a nice wick.

Soaking the wicks

Once you have made an adequate supply of wicks, the next step is to drop them into the melted ghee. The ghee should be molten enough to readily soak into the cotton wool wicks. Leave the wicks in the ghee for a few minutes and place on a tray or in a container. If the wick is really soaked, you may need to squeeze a little to wring some of the ghee out. Take care not to overdo it, or the wick will have inadequate ghee for burning. Experience will teach you this part of the process.

Storing the wicks

The wicks should be stored in a fridge where possible. This ensures that they keep their shape and are easy for pujaris to handle when preparing for aratis.

It can take a little practice to create quality wicks but as there is a constant need for them you’re sure to have plenty of opportunities to serve the pujaris, who will be most appreciative for your efforts!