Actress Rituparna Sengupta shops for diyas at Landmark; (above) candles on offer at Nik Nish. Pictures by Rashbehari Das

As the afternoon creeps to an end and the sun’s rays fade away, twinkling candles and diyas dot every nook and corner of your home, to celebrate the triumph of good over evil. The ritual apart, the festival of lights also marks the day when you deck up your den with a magical touch ? pretty rangolis at the entrance and lots of lights all over.

But Diwali d?cor is no longer restricted to floral floor patterns, little oil lamps and multi-coloured small candles. Delightfully imaginative diyas and candles in various shapes and sizes, vibrant colours and designs promise an effect that is stunning enough to illumine your home and your hopes.

GoodLife goes shop hopping to check out different kinds of candles and diyas to light up your home on D-day.

Diya dazzle

Earthen diyas are still the most fashionable option, but not without innovation. Simple yet stunning, these universal clay ones come adorned with glitters, sequins, stones and hand-paint. “Terracotta diyas are timeless classics that will never lose their charm. Be it simple or ornate, once you light them they always look good,” feels interior designer Anita Mansata.

At Party Fun in Forum, candle diyas are the new inclusions. They are floral-shaped lamps filled with bright-coloured wax. “The one in combinations of red and orange is doing very well, because along with light it also adds a lot of colour to your home,” says Manju Karnai of Party Fun.

At Nik Nish, you have terracotta ones in hexagonal as well as dewdrop shapes with swastika designs on them. The matka diya candles at Westside are decorated with beads and silver zari. The store is also housing diyas in the shape of Oriental bowls with pretty nature designs on them. Apart from the hand-painted varieties, Pantaloons also has coconut-shaped diyas.

The must-visit store for diya shopping is, however, Landmark, where the variety spoils you for choice. Tiny Ganesha lamps, handi candle diyas and various other shapes with intricate detailing vie for attention. Then you have kajal deepaks and hanging diyas, with tiny mud lamps peeking out from gorgeous holders. Pitchers in green and red embellished with cutwork and mirrors hold a platter full of diyas on top. A diya thali comes with pretty lamps surrounding a Ganesha idol.

But the showstealers here are the deepak stands with diyas. While the smaller ones have a stand with an earthen lighting on alternate extensions, the bigger ones look more or less like artistically-carved trees with alternate branches holding a plate full of bright diyas. You also have consecutive rings of diya thalis one on top of the other, like a beautifully-lit pyramid.

Designer diyas in silver are also quite popular, as always. Those with an eye for simple designs can go for dewdrop-shaped ones, while others have ornate diyas embellished with designs and motifs to choose from. Princess on Sarat Bose Road is a good destination for these.

Festival of Lights, an exhibition at Sasha on Mirza Ghalib street, is showcasing carved dokra and wrought-iron diyas.

Wax wows

Candles of the drab white kind are things of the past. From interesting shapes in colourful splashes to floating candles, anything could be your pick. “After all, Diwali is not only about lights; colour and fragrance add to the festive feel,” feels Indira Agarwal of Ferns and Petals.

A bunch of rose-shaped candles in a mat vase, candles with dry flowers and wooden chips, spiral ones in sober violets and pinks, aroma therapy ones, glittered straight candles and ones that look like champagne bottles? Nik Nish at Forum is home to an endless variety of wax wonders. There are funky options like skull-shaped and mask-shaped scented candles, too.

so available are Diwali packs that house decorative stones, scented candles, incense sticks and stands in four different shapes.

In candles too, the racks at Landmark offer a wide variety. “We have sourced most of the candles from a cottage industry in Thailand. The detailing and colour combinations make them stand out from the Indian ones,” explains Gautam Jatia of Landmark.

Some of the candles here come in ceramic holders shaped like flowers and animals. Tiny candles in myriad shades evoke soothing fragrances of lotus, lavender, mint and rosemary. They come beautifully packed in wooden boxes. Then you have cylindrical candles with flowers and leaves entwined on them. Floating flower candles in multiple colours are definite eye catchers.

The Archies stores offer gel candles in sleek glass containers with artificial fruits and sea motifs inside. Cute little cup sets, lampshades and a basket filled with apples at Pantaloons is sure to be a hit with the little ones.

The exhibition at Sasha till November 4 offers spice candles and floating ones, many of which are made by underprivileged women and children of Asha Niketan and Silence.

The candles, too, are priced in a varied range, starting as low as Rs 5 and running into a few thousand for the designer varieties.