Kolam: magic patterns from dots
In South India, many families draw one at the front door every morning.
A kolam (say: KOH-lum) is a pattern of dots and looping lines. In Tamil Nadu and nearby states, people draw one at the doorway every morning to welcome the day and their guests.
Kolams are drawn with rice flour, let out in a thin line between the fingers. The flour also feeds ants and little birds!
Same art, many names
All over India, people make floor patterns like this. It is called rangoli in many places, muggu in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, alpana in West Bengal and mandana in Rajasthan. In Keralam, families make a pookkalam of flowers at Onam.
Make your own kolam
1. Make the dots
Draw 5 rows of dots: 1, 3, 5, 3, 1.
2. Loop around
Draw a loop around each dot.
3. Add petals
Add petals all round the outside.
4. Color it
Use crayons, chalk or colored rice flour.
Your turn: draw a kolam on these dots.
Bonus: dot art
Dip a cotton bud in paint and press dots in circles, round and round. That is a dot mandala! Mandala is a Sanskrit word for circle.
Did you know?Some kolams use one line that never ends. These are sikku kolams.