Diwali Celebrations: 6 Rangoli Designs to Make This Festive Season
Looking for easy-to-make kolam and rangoli designs to invigorate home entrances this Diwali? Here's a vibrant compilation
Rangolis and kolams are traditional Indian freehand drawings made on the floor using rice flour or other powders. These decorative artworks are believed to bring good luck at home and have been a part of the Indian tradition for ages. Every year, during Diwali celebrations, homeowners create beautiful motifs, patterns and portraits outside their homes and puja rooms to invoke positivity, prosperity and happiness.
For those looking for new ideas and designs this year, I’ve put together six easy-to-make simple rangoli designs and a quick rangoli video to help you through the process.
Expert: Hema Kannan of The Lotus Shakti
Facebook: The Lotus Shakti
For those looking for new ideas and designs this year, I’ve put together six easy-to-make simple rangoli designs and a quick rangoli video to help you through the process.
Expert: Hema Kannan of The Lotus Shakti
Facebook: The Lotus Shakti
Where should I make it?
The ideal place to draw a rangoli is at the entrance of the house or outside the puja room. If you’re making a rangoli outside your home, make sure it’s drawn on the side, so people don’t step on it.
The whole point of the rangoli is that people should be able to admire it as they step inside the house.
One can always draw rangolis directly on the floor. Homes that have beige or cream marble flooring can consider printed chalkboard or laminate sheets that allow the rangoli colours to stand out (like the sheet photographed above). These are easily available and can be moved around in the house. These are also easy to wipe.
The ideal place to draw a rangoli is at the entrance of the house or outside the puja room. If you’re making a rangoli outside your home, make sure it’s drawn on the side, so people don’t step on it.
The whole point of the rangoli is that people should be able to admire it as they step inside the house.
One can always draw rangolis directly on the floor. Homes that have beige or cream marble flooring can consider printed chalkboard or laminate sheets that allow the rangoli colours to stand out (like the sheet photographed above). These are easily available and can be moved around in the house. These are also easy to wipe.
How to draw a rangoli?
The traditional way of making these designs is by deftly holding pinches of powder between the thumb and the first finger and letting the powder trickle as the hand is moved in the desired direction.
The traditional way of making these designs is by deftly holding pinches of powder between the thumb and the first finger and letting the powder trickle as the hand is moved in the desired direction.
The difference between a rangoli and a kolam
Kolam (pictured here) is an art form specific to south-eastern India. It is a more detailed and complex form of drawing and is made with rice flour, finely ground rice powder or paste (called kola-podi in Tamil) or coloured vegetable powders. As opposed to rangolis, kolams do not use a lot of colour. It is the art of creating designs using white lines.
Kolam (pictured here) is an art form specific to south-eastern India. It is a more detailed and complex form of drawing and is made with rice flour, finely ground rice powder or paste (called kola-podi in Tamil) or coloured vegetable powders. As opposed to rangolis, kolams do not use a lot of colour. It is the art of creating designs using white lines.
A design-rich tradition
Traditionally, rangolis were made in homes by women every day – this wasn’t just an occasion-based art form. The idea behind wiping out an old rangoli and creating a new one every day has spiritual significance too – it teaches the lesson of creating, destroying and recreating again. Rangolis and kolams are a form of expression and have a therapeutic value attached to them as they are believed to help de-stress the mind and body.
Read more:
Get Your Home Diwali Ready in No Time
Tell us:
Share images of your Diwali rangoli with us in the Comments section below.
Traditionally, rangolis were made in homes by women every day – this wasn’t just an occasion-based art form. The idea behind wiping out an old rangoli and creating a new one every day has spiritual significance too – it teaches the lesson of creating, destroying and recreating again. Rangolis and kolams are a form of expression and have a therapeutic value attached to them as they are believed to help de-stress the mind and body.
Read more:
Get Your Home Diwali Ready in No Time
Tell us:
Share images of your Diwali rangoli with us in the Comments section below.
Rangoli powders. These are available in a wide variety of colours and can be purchased from a general store. Keep in mind that rangoli powders are more easily available during the Diwali period. If you are keen on practising this art form more frequently, it is wise to purchase it in large quantities that will last the entire year.
Refrain from using paints – rangolis are traditionally made with powder and are easier to wipe clean.
What size?
You can make a design as small as 1x1 foot (which takes 15 minutes to finish), or a traditional Maharashtrian Sanskar Bharti rangoli that is 10x10 feet (which takes four hours to make). Of course, the size also depends on the area of the room.