Flat kolam

On Diwali day in Nepal I admired the rangoli that was being created in the hotel. Flat kolam technique of making an outline before beginning to fill the interior with coloured powders reminded me of the Diwali rangolis from Bihar, flat kolam. But the design seemed different. Paisley dominates the rangoli in eastern UP and Bihar, sometimes stylized into diyas, sometimes fractally elaborated with more complex patterns.

It is also drawn using white stone powder, chalk or chalk powder, often along with natural or synthetic color powders. Its origin belongs to the ancient Tamil Nadu known as Tamilakam and has since spread to the other southern Indian states of Karnataka , Telangana , Andhra Pradesh , and Kerala. It can be found in some parts of Goa and Maharashtra. Since the Tamil diaspora is worldwide, the practice of kolam is found around the world, including in Sri Lanka , Singapore , Malaysia , Indonesia , Thailand and a few other Asian countries. A kolam or muggu is a geometrical line drawing composed of straight lines, curves and loops, drawn around a grid pattern of dots. It is widely practised by female family members in front of their house entrance, although men and boys also practice this tradition. Kolams or muggulu are thought to bring prosperity to homes.

Flat kolam

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But this was something else. Traditionally kolams are drawn on the flat surface of the ground with white flat kolam flour. It has symmetries of a hexagon.

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Pongal is a South Indian festival celebrated during the harvest season of the year. When visiting homes in the region during this season, you will often find the entrances of the houses decorated with pongal kolam. Intricate designs that fit the festival's theme, or traditional crafts made with dots and lines. Women in South India wake up in the wee hours of the morning and decorate their homes with kolam for pongal as it is considered to be very auspicious and is said to bring good fortune and prosperity in the house. The four-day harvest festival of Pongal is from January 15 to January 18 in The festival is celebrated by Tamils all over the world.

Flat kolam

Pulli Kolam are designs which have more science in it relatively than normal kolam or rangoli designs. Pulli kolam is a beautiful art form of South India which is said that it came into existence about 5, years ago. It is a prosperous design made on the entrance and the courtyard to welcome prosperity and it is believed to get rid of evil spirits. It was made by the women of South India every single day in the earlier times by waking up really early in the mornings. But now they are made occasionally. Occasion such as onam, Pongal, weddings and other important occasions. A kolam is symmetrical design using geometric patterns and dots with the use of rice flour but now to avoid the wastage, they use chalk power and coloured powders. A Pulli Kolam follows different rules than Kolam designs.

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Retrieved 13 January Indian Heritage. Subscribe Subscribed. Sign me up. Archived from the original on 15 July Log in now. Devdutt Pattanaik. Archived from the original on 30 September It has symmetries of a hexagon. Northampton Community College. Contents move to sidebar hide.

Kolam is a form of rangoli widely used in India and mostly in South India. It holds special significance in the South of India and South Indian wedding rituals as its an age-old art of south India dating back in the Sanskrit texts where Kolam was made on the threshold of their homes using rice flour. They believe that this is the place where external and internal elements of the world meet and it is a sign of prosperity for them.

Kolams or muggulu are thought to bring prosperity to homes. Email Name Website. In the kolam patterns, many designs are derived from magical motifs and abstract designs blended with philosophical and religious motifs which have been mingled together. Center for Undergraduate Research, University of Maine. Coloured kolam in Attur. Archived from the original on 30 September A circle represents nature while a square represents culture. Read Edit View history. American Scientist. Archived from the original on 30 December The design starts with dots laid out on the ground in a square grid. The rice powder also invites birds and other small creatures to eat it, thus welcoming other beings into one's home and everyday life: a daily tribute to harmonious co-existence. A pentagram represents Venus and the five elements. Folklore has evolved to mandate that the lines must be completed to symbolically prevent evil spirits from entering the inside of the shapes.