RANGOLI- ART FORM

                                                Rangoli - art form

Rangoli is an art form, originating in the Indian subcontinent, in which patterns are drawn on the floor or the ground using materials such as colored rice, dry flour, colored sand or flower petals.

They are of two types first is the form dominant and the other is the ornamental. In form dominant type of rangoli,  lines,circles and cones are drawn proportionately. Kolam is one of the example of form dominant type. Whereas in ornamental type rangoli free styles are followed drawings like flowers, leaves, animals and birds etc are drawn. This type of is more appealing than the form dominant one.

Rangoli or Kolam is also a daily women’s ritualistic art form. Every day the kolam is put before dawn that is the brahma muhurtam or sometimes before the dusk. People of different states of India follow different styles.Sometimes different rangolis are put for different rituals and festivals, like for onam flower rangoli are put.

The purpose of putting kolams is believed that it brings fortune and good luck for the family.

The other purposes for putting kolam were, the women in the early morning would put kolam in front of the tulasi plant which would give them plenty of oxygen and there was a belief that when rice flour was put in form of kolam it would act as food for insects and they would not enter the house. Kolam patterns are drawn by women with the tips of their fingers using pinches of flour held between the thumb and the first finger letting the powder to fall in continuous line by moving the hand in different directions.

-Tejaswini