Rangoli

The original name of rangoli is Rangavali, which means- ranga=color, avali=line in Sanskrit. It is more commonly called  Rangoli. It is called Alpana in Bengali, Kolam in Tamil. 

Most houses in India, especially in the Southern part of India, have a Rangoli in front of their house. It is drawn by the women of the house early in the morning. No festival is complete without the beautiful motif on the floor. What a beautiful way to welcome the visitor.

Almost every house, small or big, rich or poor has a rangoli at the entrance. It may be a small motif, drawn only with a white powder or a chalk, everyone wants to welcome a visitor.

What is the material used for rangoli? 

 

Traditionally the rangoli is drawn with white stone powder.

Rice flour, chalk, charcol, colored powders are also used. For wet rangoli, Rice is soaked in water for an hour and then ground to paste. This paste is used to draw lines of the rangoli. This rice flour paste rangoli is mainly used in Southern part of India mainly in Tamilnadu.

Colored powders are available easily in shops to mix in rangoli. These shops do good business before festival time.

You can use your creativity and use any material you think right. Coffee grounds, dried flowers and leaves, rice and other cereals, grains etc. You use what ever is available and will make your design more beautiful. Turmeric and vermilion are used to color the rangoli. There is no limit.

The coloring agent (generally in powder form) is mixed with white rangoli powder as required and then filled in the designs.

The combination of rangoli powder, colors and flowers and petals is also used. First the rangoli is drawn with dots and lines. Colors are filled and flowers, petals, leaves are placed on the rangoli design to make it more beautiful.

During Deepavali, rangoli is drawn using rangoli powder, filled with colors, then oil lamps (mud lamps)are placed on the rangoli to make it more beautiful.