The modest diya...do you know its history and the significance of this simple, little, yet powerful lamp? The word 'diya' comes from the Sanskrit word 'deepa' meaning 'that which gives light.' The diya/deeya, as we recognize it to date as the reddish-brown terracotta (fired/baked clay) form, was first identified approximately 2,600 BCE during the Indus Valley Civilization (IVC) era. The IVC was one of the world's earliest and most widespread civilization, flourishing across what is now Pakistan,