Lota (vessel)

A lota (Urdu: لوٹا‎, Hindi: लोटा, Bengali: লোটা) is a small, usually spherical water vessel of brass, copper or plastic used in parts of South Asia for personal hygiene and, among Muslims, for wudu.

Early examples of Lota and Kindi first appears in chalcolithic period cultures of South Asia, notably in Savalda Culture and two well-preserved examples from Jorwe culture pottery dating back to 2nd millennium BC.

American designer Charles Eames in his The India Report expressed a great admiration for the lota, saying about its design, "Of all the objects we have seen and admired during our visit to India, the Lota, that simple vessel of everyday use, stands out as perhaps the greatest, the most beautiful."

The lota is also used in religious activities, like Hindu puja. When used for Hindu worship, it is often decorated with sindoor and/or turmeric powder.

In some parts of Pakistan and India, the use of the phrase "bependi ka lota" (a "lota without a base") is colloquially used to refer to a person who may switch their loyalties. This comes from the observation that a spherical lota without a base tends to roll over in unpredictable directions when kept on uneven ground. The neologism "" was coined in Pakistan to describe politicians who would switch parties.

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Wikipedia