Pulli kolam designs

Some pulli kolam designs I designed for Rangoli-sans-dots.  I will upload as and when it is practically possible..

 Draw the central pattern and expand outward to get the wings  Draw the head and crown and beak of the bird.  

The remaining dots at the centre are filled up with patterns as shown in the image.  You can also decide your own pattern

 The kolam  is of 9 dot to 1 dot pattern kolam with four "colourful" birds.  A simple design.   Place the 9 to 1 dot template. 

There is some influence of free hand design in the birds and hence the combination of dots and  free hand rangoli results in the image shown above.  

Some colourful lines have been added to parallel to the basic white design to get a beautiful and attractive rangoli. 

This rangoli may not appear to be simple, hence the photo above showing how to draw the basic patterns at the centre and around.

My mother used to say that holding the kolapodi and sprinkling kolam powder to get the patterns should be done with grace and even this act


should look beautiful to one who watches a kolam being drawn . ( Is beauty in the eyes of the beholder ! )


 My mother also said that this is a divine art and hence should be practised with the sanctity it deserves.  Also, just as a teacher teaches


how to hold a pencil in primary school so also she taught how to hold kolam powder. 

9 pulli kolam - birds
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 From this the beak, crown and tail of the birds can be developed based on our imagination. 

This kolam is somewhat  different because free hand patterns have to be drawn for representing the birds.  Decorations and colours are added as per our convenience and imagination to complete the design.

  In the second case, the central star design is retained to get the 12 sided geometric shape like a star.  Two sides are used to draw the free hand design of the bird as shown. 

 Add beaks and crown and some colours to give a more bird-like presentation!.  A simple method for drawing birds on a rangoli.  

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This rangoli below  is a birds rangoli ( supposed to represent a simplified version of peacocks !). It is 5 dot rangoli with 4 birds.  The dot grid is 5 by 5 . 

 The steps showing how to draw this design and also the same design with different colours are there in a post on dotted rangoli in Rangolisansdots .

One intermediate step is shown in the images.  Such kolam will be helpful if we are really short of space.
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Simple kolam with 7 by 4 dots for Margazhi.This kolam uses a 7 by 4 idukku pulli or dot pattern.  After placing the dot pattern instead of connecting the dots.  The lines are drawn on either side of the dots to get six intersecting patterns.  

Finally the remaining dots are used ( again the lines are drawn outside the dots ) to get the simple kolam. 

One intermediate step is shown.  If you are looking for a small and simple kolam with dots for Margazhi this may be useful.

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So far I have posted many  free hand rangoli true to the title Rangoli-sans-dots which means rangoli without dots.  However rangoli with dots are also beautiful and have  their own appeal.   I can draw a few, thanks  to my mother-in-law and mother  who taught me some of this  type.

kolam design with 7 dots

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    In this category of kolam designs, the second kolam is a 7 to 4 dot kolam with floral petal designs.  The black and white image shows the two steps of the kolam, the first one with the dot pattern and the second kolam is the white kolam .

 The completed kolam is shown in the next image.  The background is filled with any kolam powder according to our choice.

    What I have done is four petals have blue or pink colour and the bottom two are green in colour ( to represent leaves !).  We can add some simple patterns on the back ground and inside the petals to enhance the beautify of the kolam design.

11 to 6 dot poo kolam design or 11 pulli poo kolam 

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Adding colours changes the entire perspective and makes it a fancy kolam design for Diwali

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The rangoli  on the top below is of  dot grid  11 to 6 dots (idukku pulli).  A floral design with dots.  They are the most sought after in rangoli designs.  Probably the beauty and colours of flowers attract us so much that we desire to draw them often. 

 Though it is preferable to upload videos for rangoli with dots, simple rangolis and for at least some of the free hand designs so that the steps involved are shared with viewers, I have a separate channel for the videos .

Accordingly I try to include videos for pulli kolams, simple kolams with dots and for some free hand rangolis.  
  
This rangoli (on the top left ) is drawn by the following method.  Draw the six flowers on the outside one by one.  Then draw the central flower with six petals.  Obviously, there are six flowers on the periphery to match the six petals at the centre.  

Connect all with simple patterns or curved lines.  Now the difficult part, fill the entire rangoli with different colours as shown in the image.  I have used two shades of blue for the petals if you would have observed.  

 Two intermediate steps of the kolam in the black and white steps  are added 
         
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Rangoli drawn with 11  to 1 dot - lotus or thamarai kolam  for Pongal or New Year

The four images in black and white show us the steps in drawing this rather simple kolam using thamarai or lotus designs.  This can also be drawn without dots or free hand

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Rangoli designs are popular is various states of India. Each state has its own style and each style its own beauty.  While kolam including pulli kolam is unique to Tamil Nadu, rangoli designs with dots with square dot grids are unique and the beauty of rangoli designs practised in Maharastra. 

 Some rangoli designs inspired by Maharastra rangoli with dots based on the feed back from my sister who lives in Mumbai.

 Kolam  inspired by Maharastrian rangoli with dots -The previous kolam witth a square grid and this one appear to have  the influence of  Maharastrian rangoli with dots.  

This kolam is also with with 15 by 15 dot grid using a number of straight lines that is usually drawn for the festival Ananta Vratha and appears to have the influence of Maharashtrian rangoli with dots with two photos showing the intermediate steps are shown below. 

 The result a beautiful kolam design.  Through simple steps and simple patterns it is possible to get beautiful designs in this type of rangolis.  I hope to add more of them in future. 

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Floral kolam / rangoli with 11 to 6  dots for Sankranti
                                      
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     The next kolam is of dot pattern 11 to 6 (idukku pulli).  This is a simple floral design.  Draw the 6 flowers around the central flower.    The gaps between the flowers are converted into simple designs using the remaining dots.

  Finally fill all the designs with colour rangoli powder to get the image shown below. The trick is to get the floral petal patterns at the centre and on the outside, right to get a beautiful effect on the rangoli. The colours only enhance the beauty of the design.

     Choosing colours can be left to our imagination for general floral designs but for specific flowers like rose, lotus and hibiscus there are restrictions. The black and white images show two steps of the kolam. A flower kolam for Margazhi.

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15 to 1 dot kolam with floral petals or 15 pulli kolam ( flowers ) for Pongal festival

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The kolam  is 15 to 1 straight dots (ner pulli). A simple floral petal central design surrounded by some flowers and leaves.  I have added a few colours  The method is - draw the outer designs on the four sides. Then draw the central floral designs. 

 Connect the designs as shown.  Fill with parallel lines of different colours. The pattern at the centre is a simple floral petal design and this I have used in some rangoli designs.  The remaining dots are also used to get more flower and leaf patterns to get the rangoli.

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Two intermediate steps of the colourful design above are shown to give an idea of how the kolam progresses from the dot grid to the final step.  As shown in the first image the floral patterns on the four corners are drawn and then the dots between the floral patterns are used with a pattern as shown.

  Of course we have the liberty to change the designs according to our imagination.  For example some leaf patterns can also be drawn in these dots.  The next image shows how the dots at the middle are used.  Three dots on each side remain as shown. 

 Refer to the final image with colours to complete the kolam design.

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The next one is with 7dots to 7 dot pattern. A simple floral pullikolam design.  .  Again the outer designs are drawn and the remaining dots used to get the central design.

 The outer patterns can also be converted into birds or butterflies - the patterns on the four edges - as is obvious from the image.

 The images in black and white show two intermediate steps of the kolam design.  The first one shows the dot pattern with the outer floral designs in three steps. 

 The second image shows how the central designs are drawn. They give an idea as to how the kolam design progresses.

7 dots kolam with hibiscus and rose buds - simple kolam for Pongal

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This is a flower kolam with dot pattern 7 by 7.  I have used hibiscus and rose buds for the design.  Draw the flowers on the corners then the central pattern and then add the roses to get the final design. The roses with pink colour added will look cute.  

The kolam with colours is in Rangolisansdots two images for the video show intermediate steps to give us an idea

A representation of a flower basket in a kolam through three images.  The dot pattern is 7 to 3 idukku pulli.I have used two parallel lines to depict the basket ( so that it appears more natural )

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Kolam with rose ( buds )

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The kolam on the top has rose as a theme.  A simple design that can be drawn free hand or using a 5 by 5 dot template.  Draw the square (or rhombus). 

Use the dots inside to get the floral petals and the stalks of the roses.  Use the dots outside (there will be three ) to get the leaf designs and around the remaining dot draw the roses to get this rose kolam design. 

Finally add some simple motifs with white rangoli  (powder).   The image on the left shows the initial step in this kolam    

Now some rangoli with 6 dots

Flower kolam design with 6 dots pattern

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 The next one on the top is also a rose kolam design but with the dot pattern 6 by 6 so it is relatively simple, only drawing the rose buds with curved lines needs some practice. Start from one corner, draw the stalk and the leaves and finally complete the rose buds. 

 Red rose buds have been drawn in this kolam design.     The images in black and white show the kolam at the beginning and at an intermediate step before addition of colours.  This may give an idea as to how to proceed with this kolam.

This is a simple 6 dots rangoli / kolam I drew for Akshaya Tritiya 

I wanted to try something different. This one is a kolam with a dot pattern 6 dot by 6.  Frankly, this design is not what I planned but as I stated many times the influence of free hand designs makes me change the design while drawing.  

A kolam with four "angry birds" says my daughter(!) because all birds have turned their heads away and are not looking at one another.

(Akshaya Tritiya is considered by many to be one of the most auspicious days for starting a new venture.  It falls in the month of Chaitra ( in April-May) on the third day after the new moon day.  Akshaya means lasting for ever.  Tritiya refers to the third day after new moon. 

 According to legends Lord Krishna's childhood friend, Sudhama visited him after many years.  He was stricken with poverty. His wife asked him to seek the help of Lord Krishna. 

 It is said that He uttered the word Akshaya three times for each mouthful of flattened rice preparation ( called aval in Tamil and poha in Marathi ) His friend's poverty vanished and he became very rich.  It is considered to be auspicious to learn a new art or mantra on this day. ) 

So let us learn some new kolam designs like this one - new but simple only the free hand patterns for the birds need some practice

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Common kolam designs with dots for Margazhi

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This kolam design above is a common kolam and  is with 13 to 1 dot pattern. It has been filled with colours,  however can be drawn plain or partially filled, can be decorated  inside or outside with freehand patterns.

  The options are many. Rangoli with dots are the popular in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka in  Southern India.  They are called chukkala muggulu in Telugu. 

15 to 8 dot simple kolam for apartments for Margazhi 

The next kolam is quite a common design - the dot grid is 15 to 8 ( idukku pulli ).  It is usually drawn as a tortoise shape but I have used some floral patterns instead of a tortoise.

  Draw the central star shaped patterns then use up the remaining dots  to get  two parallelograms one inside the other. 

 Though it is a relatively big kolam and occupies some space it is commonly drawn during Margazhi at the entrance.

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11 to 6 dot common kolam for apartments

The next one is a kolami that is quite common in southern part of India ( at least to my knowledge ).  The dot grid is 11 to 6 ( in between dots i.e the dots are placed in the order 11at the centre and  10,9,8,7,6 on either side ).

 First 11 dots are placed the next rows of dots are placed below and above between two dots in the 11 dot row so that we get 10 dots.  Similarly when the next row of dots is placed between any two dots we get nine dots and so on.  

This is a simple line rangoli design with hexagons and few lines so that the result is rhombuses.

 Two intermediate steps are shown one at the beginning and one when it is nearing completion so that the rangoli can be drawn for colouring.  The colourful version is in rangoli with 11 dots.

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Common kolam designs for Pongal    
   
There are some common kolam designs that are drawn quite frequently in many homes.  One of them is the 11 to 6 dot s ( interlaced dots or idukku pulli ) poo kolam.

Actually it is not a poo ( flower ) but only some petals are drawn.  The colourful version of this kolam is already there in Rangoli-sans-dots

 The kolam is shown in three steps below.  In the first image three intersecting lines are drawn using the dots as shown.  In the next step the petals are drawn and they connected through curved lines drawn through the dots from the centre.

  In the final step the the remaining line below the floral petal is connected to the next group of petals using the remaining dots. This simple yet beautiful kolam may be useful for beginners and kids. 

These two kolam shared below have already been shared with colours elsewhere in Rangolisansdots. 

 Such simple kolam though drawn with a bigger dot grid may be useful for activities connecting the dots.

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common-pulli-kolam-4.jpgThe next common kolam is with 13 to 1 dots. (ner pulli ) The colourful version has already been featured here in one of the earlier posts I have added a couple of steps here since it belongs to this category. 

A simple design, can be drawn in a few minutes and so is suitable for daily use and for learning by beginners and children.   
                                                      


   Deepavali kolam ( with dots ) -
 
The kolam is a  9 by 5 dots ( idukku pulli type ).  After the dot grid is placed the two images in black and white show how the kolam progresses from the centre.  

Though it can be left plain, since it is Deepavali adding colours is an important factor.  So the kolam with colours.  The plain kolam has also been shared elsewhere in a relevant post in Rangoli-sans-dots.

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Deepavali kollam  - 15 to 1 dot design

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 The  newest addition to this series on Deepavali kolam ideas .  It is a 15 to 1 ner pulli type kolam.  As usual place the dot grid.  Draw the kolam from the centre towards the outer sides.  First draw three intersecting lines as shown.

On the top of each line draw the petals shapes filled with orange colour.  Four floral petal designs on four sides are complemented by four deepam designs with yellow flames.  Four more deepam designs are added on the four sides.   So far so good.

Filling up the entire kolam with light and dark blue and grey colours takes quite some time. . This can also be drawn for Sankranti muggulu with dots        
        
 Filling up the kolam with various colours takes 45 minutes (approx ).  And adding the final touches takes a few more minutes.

Actually the greyish green colour that can be seen is not a regular powder, but a mixture of  different colours that was obtained when the Sanskar Bharti rangoli drawn above was erased.  I made use of it in this kolam for filling up. 
   
Fish kolam with dots ( nature kolam theme a simple design)Fish is another popular idea for rangoli designs.  One of the simplest fish rangoli design I could think of is the one below.  Place five dots radially around a central dot.

  We can have six or eight radial arms.  Use the first dot and the last dot to draw the fish pattern  outside the dots. The remaining dots inside are used as shown in the image.

Finally all the fish are connected at the centre as shown in the rangoli.

  We can add colours to make it colourful. This rangoli ( though I have not added colours ) is an inspiration from fish that we usually see converge on food

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Maavilai or mango leaf designs in kolam 

Mango leaves ( or maavilai as it is called in Tamil ) patterns are used quite often in kolam / rangoli designs.  One such simple design with a 5 by 5 dot grid. 

This is also there elsewhere in Rangoli-sans-dots ( under 5 dots and 7 dots rangoli designs ).  Due to the relevance I have drawn it for Nature rangoli too. The rangoli has been shown in three steps

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The rangoli  has swastik at the centre and expanded further to end in petals.  The periphery is also decorated with simple swastik patterns.  

After drawing plain, the petals and the pattern at the centre are filled with colour as shown in the image above.  A simple free hand rangoli. T

hese types are similar to maavilai kolam in  Tamil.   They are drawn with dots.  I am trying to be honest to Rangoli-sans-dots and  hence I have tried without dots!

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When it is drawn with dots, The dot pattern is 7 dots at the centre, 6 and 5 dots on either side as idukku pulli and then one row of 3 dots each. 

 As usual draw the design from the centre of the dot grid, add the petals or mango leaves and swastik patterns and finally fill with colours.  Of course there is a small difference in the rangolis, the one at the top has eight petals while the one in the video has six petals.

It is possible to draw a rangoli with 8 petals  also.

The video is in my YouTube channel. However, the two images below show intermediate steps for this swastik rangoli with 7 dots. ( Swastik is regularly  used in Indian temples and puja for centuries ). 

The white kolam on the left for practising without colours or for colouring activity.

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Continuing our discussion on  maavilai  the next  rangoli is also a variation of the maavilai kolam (literally mango leaves).  The dot pattern is 7 to 4 (idukku pulli).  Draw the central intersecting lines, extend them and draw the curved lines to get the design.

 This is also a variation of the maavilai kolam (literally mango leaves).  The dot pattern is 7 to 4 (idukku pulli).  Draw the central intersecting lines, extend them and draw the curved lines to get the design.
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kolam design with 13 dots - maavilai and floral petals for Pongal kolam 

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Margazhi is a season for relatively bigger kolam designs. So this one is some what big when compared to 4 or 5 dots.  This has a 13 to 1 dot pattern. 

Using a dot pattern we can draw simple geometric shapes like triangles or parallelograms in a particular pattern to use the dots. 

This dot grid is also commonly used  for such designs.  I wanted to try a different design and got this finally.

The five designs with maavilai leaves as they are called are drawn one at the centre and four on its four sides.  The remaining dots are used to draw clover like floral petal pattens. Add a few colourful lines inside the design to get the image seen in the thumbnail.  

Plain rangoli designs can be used for drawing at the entrance of our homes, for practising this art and also for activities like colouring the designs. 

 Hence some rangoli designs from my collection of rangoli designs from various places in Rangolisansdots. colourful versions of some of them may already be available here.  The rangoli designs can be used for filling with crayons, sketch pens or colouring pencils.

  The white kolam below with colours in the kolam design above.  Please compare the effects just adding colourful lines on the kolam.

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Akshya Tritiya is an occasion for learning a new art or mantra.  Some of these simple maavilai kolam with dots may be useful for Akshaya Tritiya considering the fact that these designs are considered auspicious.  An auspicious kolam for an auspicious festival.

kolam design with 13 dots - butterflies and flowers

The colourful version of this kolam has been shared below.  here a  set of pics showing different set of steps to draw this beautiful kolam.  Though it can be drawn with a single line I have tried the double line or two line kolam version.

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  The dot pattern is 13 dots to 1 dot, ner pulli. I have added the rangoli with dots.  However I have drawn  it with parallel lines instead of a single line version. It reduces the use of colour rangoli powder!.

 This version is also called double stroke kolam as two lines are drawn simultaneously.. Place the dots grid or template.

 Draw the butterflies and flowers first.  Use the balance dots to get the image below.  Add colours with lines parallel to the two parallel lines!.

 Rangoli designs with dots and those without dots are beautiful in their own way. So far as symmetry is concerned I think the level of difficulty is the same

The two images below show two intermediate steps of the butterfly rangoli to give a visual idea of how to proceed with this rangoli. 

If it is difficult to draw with parallel  lines we can draw a single line design first.
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                                                        two-line-kolam-1.jpg

The rangoli above drawn with single line instead of double line ( I have not decided ,  how many) for New Year through Sankranti.  It can be drawn free hand or with dots.  The image above has been drawn without dots.  It is a design with four butterflies and four flowers.  

The centre filled with pink and green  patterns.  The flowers have been filled with two shades of blue.  The gaps have also have rangoli powder preserved by me after erasing a design (hence the different colour in the back ground. )
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Butterfly kolam with 6 dots for Sankranti

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The kolam above looks like a free hand design after finishing but is actually a rangoli with dots.  On an earlier occasion I wrote that we are dependent on nature for designs and colours for our rangolis. 

 It is natural that we seek the help of colourful flowers, beautiful birds and butterflies for our rangoli designs.  This rangoli is drawn by first drawing the four butterflies in the four corners - the body and antennae first as shown .  Then add the four wings using the dots. 

 Then draw the simple and easy flower at the centre.  All the butterflies are drawn facing the flower.  After all they should be shown attracted by the flower.

  Fill the wings of the butterflies with attractive colours and add simple and beautiful patterns according to your imagination.  The butterflies should look colourful and beautiful.

 I have chosen similar colouring method for a pair.  We can have them all of the same colours or all of different colours ( I don't know how this will look! Any way we can try - there is no limit or restriction for our imagination !)  

In case you still have a doubt as to how the butterfly design  can be drawn with dots there is the video in Rangolisansdots my YouTube channel ! 

This is easy to draw with dots than free hand. . Two steps in the butterfly rangoli in black and white in the images above.

15 dots poo kolam for Margazhi kolam with dots

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The first kolam for the Margazhi season 2014.  A flower kolam or poo kolam .  This is quite a common kolam design with five flowers each with four two lobed petals as shown. 

 The flower is drawn at the centre of the grid and on all four sides.  The remaining dots are used to create patterns as shown.  Finally add some small leaf patterns.

 Since it is a Margazhi special it is important to fill with beauitful colours - the entire kolam - not only the designs but also the gaps are filled up with various colours, pink, yellow and blue as shown.  The centre of the flower is also decorated with white designs. 

 The dot grid used is fifteen dot three rows, then upto three dots (ner pulli ).  Though it is a 15 dot rangoli kolam it is quite simple and can be easily completed in a short time. 

 Please try for this Margazhi. Intermediate steps are shown in the pics below. 

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Sankranti poo kolam designs with dots The kolam above with more intermediate steps with at the plain and white kolam 

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Connecting  the dots - activity through kolam / rangoli  

Kolam the Indian floor art is a very useful art and activity idea for kids.  Kolam is drawn using a dot grid ( usually ).   The result is some simple, beautiful, intricate, tricky patterns.  It is traditionally drawn on the floor in India.  

However this art can be used as an excellent hobby or activity.  Some designs from Rangolisansdots that are there is various posts selected for this activity.  

Of course colours can be added to these designs making it another activity by itself. 

However this idea is different from the connecting with dots activities that are done through numbered dots.  

This is slightly difficult in that aspect however the patterns are repetitive and simple in many kolam designs.  So it should be fun trying this also

This kolam can be used for activity 

This post had free hand kolam designs for Margazhi. Due to requests I have added some kolam with dots for Margazhi 2014 here.  The first kolam is the famous and common rose kolam with dots.  We can find it frequently drawn for various occasions and festivals.

While rose patterns are similar to what I have drawn the central design varies from person to person depending upon our imagination.  The dot pattern used is 15 to 8 idukku pulli.  Two images showing intermediate steps for this kolam have also been added.

Simple peacocks like patterns in kolam 

Patterns in kolam represent elements in nature and need not be exact replicas.  Just as we have mango leaf patterns that do not look exactly like mango leaves, we can have peacock kolam that represent peacock designs but need look exactly like the beautiful birds.  In this aspect I think kolam differs from rangoli. 

 I have chosen an appropriate colour - peacock blue for the birds.  The kolam is drawn with 7 by 4 dots idukku pulli or interlaced dots.  

The three steps in the kolam are shown in the images or pics below. The images of the birds look like a peacock putting its feathers up!

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kolam with 8 dots - some simple designs

Butterfly dotted rangoli or butterfly kolam with dots for Margazhi and Pongal

No collection of butterfly rangoli designs can be complete without the common butterfly rangoli with 8 by 8 dot grid.  Four butterflies are drawn on four sides with a flower at the centre.

  There is another common rangoli with the word WELCOME running vertically and horizontally with the butterflies at the corners.  The two images show the intermediate steps.  It is better to draw the thorax and antennae of the butterfly before drawing the wings.

 It is easier that way and one will not get confused. 

Of course we have to make the final design as colourful as possible also because they are butterflies.

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Simple sangu kolam with dots

A simple rangoli ( or kolam ) for this festival - Krishna Jayanthi or Sri Jayanthi and I think it is relevant too.  Sangu kolam designs are quite common and many patterns can be drawn.  I have chosen the simplest - 2 sangu ( or conch ) with one above and one below. 

 So the dot pattern will 8 dots to 1 (idukku pulli or interlaced dots ).  The three images below show the steps for drawing this kolam.

 Though it is a simple kolam joining the dots to get the curved lines to get a conch pattern is what is important.  Quite a beautiful kolam that is commonly used as regular designs and for festivals too.

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8 dots kolam - theni koodu kolam
The dot grid is 8 to 3 though the patterns can be extended infinitely we are restricting to this dot pattern to make it simple.  First we have to mark the four centres of the hexagons that will be formed.  They will be 3 row on the either side and 6 row ( two dots ) as shown.  

Next we should proceed to form the hexagons and mango leaf or maavilai designs.  Since there are many hexagon like patterns that are formed closely like a bee hive this kolam is also called theni-koodu kolam by some.

After all I have to reiterate that we depend heavily on nature for our kolam designs. Though it appears simple we can get confused so the images showing many steps to reach the final kolam design.
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This is a collection of my Kolam designs with dots for Diwali rangoli with dots

For kolam  up to 15 dots grid ( medium ) 

While free hand rangolis are popular in many parts of India, rangoli with dots called (pulli ) kolam in Tamil  is popular in Tamil Nadu  (chukkala muggulu in Telugu  or pulli vecha kolam of Tamil Nadu ).  This can be further classified into two types ner pulli kolam  and idukku pulli kolam.

 Some of these kolam designs may be useful for Margazhi kolam too or if you are looking for Sankranthi / Pongal muggulu with dots. These are also called tipke rangoli designs or tipkyanchi rangoli  designs by my eleder sister in Mumbai.

If you are looking for Ayudha Pooja kolam or Saraswathi Pooja kolam or Vijayadasami kolam one of these 25 plus rangoli designs should be useful.

To explain it further if one draws a ner pulli kolam with a 15 to 1 dot pattern it means that the central row of dots is 15 and the last row has one dot  - odd number of dots are placed in descending order i.e 13,11, 9, 7,5,3 and 1 and a convenient distance (1 cm approx)  on either side of the central row of 15 dots.
In idukku pulli kolam also called idai pulli kolam or sandhu pulli kolam ( all refer to the fact that dots are placed in between ) the first row of dots is placed, the next row of dots is placed below the first row in between the dots of the first row and the third row below the second row at a reasonable distance  between the dots of the second row and so on. This is to be done on both sides of the central row.
 
 The designs above are in public domain for at least decades if not for centuries but drawing them is challenging due to the patterns involved and the time taken.  If all the patterns are to be finished with colours it takes a longer time.  Hence it is usual to find these designs during Margazhi season when kolam making is at its peak in Tamil Nadu.

A beautiful collection of a variety of kolam or muggulu designs that can be used for Margazhi kolam with dots, Pongal kolam with dots aka Sankranti muggulu with dots.
If we are looking for different New Year kolam with dots one these rangoli with dots must be definitely suitable.     
                            

Kolam art

We know where this art originated - India.  The questions why and how have been on my mind for a long time.  I do not have the answers only some guesses. I wonder when the pratice of sprinkling water  on  the access to a house and drawing a rangoli there, started. 


 Let me think aloud (or should  I say write aloud)!.Could it be because in those days  electricity was not discovered and light at dawn was insufficient, water was sprinkled  to scare  reptiles away. Probably,  rangolis where drawn  with rice  flour and turmeric powder to keep the ants  and insects at bay. Also, art is an integral part of human life. 


 It has been so for ages.  It has been our desire to bring out nature's beauty through art. Probably rangoli art also originated due to this quest of us, humans. A wild guess or is it a plausible  explanation.? I don't know. I request someone to throw some light on the subject. I will add  links as and when I find interesting links on rangoli or related information. 


Of course rangoli or kolam is drawn to welcome guests daily or on special occasions, is considered to be auspicious and hence there is a practice in Tamil Nadu and other parts of India of drawing rangoli daily at the entrance.  One can get a fair idea of the house based on the rangoli drawn at the centre. 


 For example if there is padi kolam drawn at the entrance it means that there is a celebration going on in the house. Kolam in Tamil means beauty and in Tamil Nadu the art of kolam is practised by women every morning and some draw it in the evening too. 

Best rangoli posts

Small rangoli with dots

9 dots or pulli kolangal