Kolam is a floor art. It is known by different names in different languages in India, it is a traditional form of art. In Tamil and Malayalam it is known as Kolam. In Telugu and Kannada it is known as Muggu. In Hindi it is known as Rangoli when colours are added to it.
The above kolam is done by me and applied colour power.
In my post about MARGHAZHI-The-Auspicious-month-in-Tamil-Calendar I have mentioned about Kolam and its traditional value. That is a tip of the iceberg. Due to requests from @TravellerG and many other readers to write a post about Kolam, I am really happy in presenting this write-up.
The art of putting KOLAM:
I will explain here how the traditional kolams are done. There are two methods, dry and wet. Rice powder is taken in between our thumb, index finger and middle finger. Holding the powder and pressing it with the thumb and allowing it flow from between the index finger and middle finger, lines and patterns are drawn on the floor. By practice we get to draw proper lines and curved lines. Like this floral patterns are also drawn.
For wet kolams rice powder is mixed with water and made as a paste with flowing consistency. Then, cotton or a piece of cloth is dipped in the paste and squeezed on the floor to get lines and designs.
Limestone powder is used to draw kolams before the entrance of our house in the street.
The kolams are drawn freehand or by keeping dots. When we keep dots and draw, the kolam comes very perfectly. The picture in the beginning of this post is an example of kolam drawn by keeping dots.
The picture below is the example of kolam drawn freehand.
There are different kinds of patterns in Kolam. Floral kolams, theme kolams and string kolams. Floral kolams have designs like flowers, leaves and stems. Theme kolams depicts some themes like festivals and special days. String kolams are patterns formed by drawing curved lines running in between dots.
The below pictures are few examples of different kinds of kolams. (Drawn by placing the dots)
The above picture is an example of Floral kolam with red sand. Kolam with red sand is drawn on auspicious days.
The above picture is a Theme kolam depicting the famous festival of Tamilnadu i.e. PONGAL Festival. This festival is a harvest festival. Pot containing Pongal (a dish made from rice, green gram, milk and jaggery), sugar cane, leaves and flowers, fruit bowl, lamps and turmeric twigs and a small kolam below are drawn symbolising the festival.
The above picture is again an example of Theme kolam. This kolam depicts the special day Ratha Saptami. According to Hindu tradition, on this day the Sun God tilts his chariot from southern hemisphere to northern hemisphere. Hence Sun in a chariot is drawn.
The above picture is an example of string Kolam. Dots are placed and curved lines run between the dots and forms a pattern. This is a little bit hard work. You should put a lot of thinking to get correct patterns. The art of drawing kolam is a fine example of Psychosomatic Exercise.
Importance of KOLAM (Beliefs and Facts)
It is believed that the Goddess of Wealth, Lakshmi comes along the streets in the early hours of each day and enters into the houses where the entrance is neatly cleaned, sprinkled with cowdung water and a beautiful kolam is drawn. She bestows the houses with health, wealth and happiness. Therefore we should draw kolams before our houses in early morning to invite the Goddess of Wealth into our houses and bless us.
In the pooja room/prayer room, rice powder kolam is drawn and red sand should be applied. It is assumed that ants may take small rice powder granules and consume them. On auspicious days on floor edges also redsand lines are drawn. Red sand is mixed with water and made into a paste and applied using a piece of cloth.
FACT:
The true fact is that a clean entrance, cowdung water and limestone will not allow the germs to enter into the house. Hence health is maintained, This in turn minimises our medical expenditure. Health is wealth and this leads to happiness.
Red sand is a body coolant and helps our body to get away from heat disorders and hot flashes.
While drawing the Kolam, you will be bending down and raising up in regular intervals. This is a good exercise to our body. Either freehand kolam or dot kolam we should have little plan, That too when we draw big kolams, So for getting a beautiful outcome of the kolam we put effort through our mind, body and soul. This we have to do during the early hours of the day. The time when air is free of pollution. We feel very refreshed.
When we finish drawing a beautiful Kolam we feel a sense of accomplishment. This helps us achieving our goals throughout the day. In short this practice is also a form of YOGA.
Hope you find this write-up interesting and thank you in advance for reading this. If you have any questions please feel free to ask, I am always happy to explain.
#TeamChallence 48
This post is a part of #TeamIndia contribution under the valuable guidance of our mentor @TravellerG and Team.
Initiated by @ErmesT under #TeamChallenge banner.
I also take this opportunity to invite our Google moderators for being helpful and supportive @DeniGu , @BorrisS , @Julien44 , @AdrianLunsong
Thanks again to all
!
.