In Tamilnadu, one would find a finest drawn and artistic drawing decorating every house at the front entrance. These drawings are notjust merely a decoration, but it has lot more significance to this practice. During festival seasons and on any auspicious functions, the drawing are drawn still larger even extending up to the street! A classic example can be noted from these, a woman’s creative at it’s best, talent to make it an even more attractive.

A kolam is a geometrical drawing composed of curved loops drawn around a grid pattern of dots. It is sometimes called Rangoli and can be very elaborate and colorful. Kolams originated about 2500 BC in the Indus Valley Civilization and are believed to help bring wealth and prosperity to the home or business.

Finely ground rice flour is often used in kolam drawing as an offering to the Hindu goddess, Lakshmi who is the goddess of wealth and rice. Sandstone or limestone powder can also be used and various colored dyes are added to bring color to the design. The kolam drawings are made on a floor previously sprinkled with water.

A kolam is drawn with bare fingers following a pattern. Generally, kolam drawings consist of lines running around patterns of dots in a a geometric pattern.

Step by step guideline for creating a Kolam:

Step 1

Prepare a grid of the required dimensions.

Most Kolams are made with simple geometric shapes and are generally symmetrical. Then it becomes easy to follow the pattern.

Step 2

Join the dots one by one and form interesting shapes.

Step 3
Repeat the same design at the other end of the grid.

Step 4
Fill up the complete grid with simple shapes and patterns.

Step 5

You can create beautiful designs by varying the grid size and patterns within.

A Complex Kolam Step by Step