Varalakshmi Vratham and Navarathri kolam ideas

Navarathri golu kolam | Special padi kolam

Varalakshmi Vratham 2018 | special kolam | 4 line rangoli 

Special functions and festivals demand special kolam.  This traditional rangoli with line of symmetry demand some skill in drawing the series of concentric curved lines. Otherwise it is an easy design only. 

The next step shows the filling up of the gaps on the four sides with lines

Lotus flower is associated with Lakshmi Devi so we can added them in the kolam

After completion decorate with geru . Centre of the kolam is always filled with some simple design - flowers, spirals or if drawn in the Puja room Lakshmi padham

kolu or golu decoration with kolam

We celebrate Navratri for nine days or rather nine nights , hence the name Navratri.  Starting with the first day apart from various decorations we do for the kolu with craft and art,  tradition has it that we draw a new kolam for the kolu every day.
Till Dasara or Dusshera or Vijayadasami the celebrations are on.

The kolam below is suitable for Ayudha Pooja and Vijayadasami .
The curved lines represent the bow and we have the arrows also - the traditional Ayudha
Also it is said that the Pandavas removed the weapons hidden secretly on Vijayadasami

Small kolam for Varalakshmi Vratham mandapam decoration

For decoration before the mandapam we need small kolam.  The kalasam or idol is kept in the mandapam .  Inside the mandap we draw Aishwarya kolam or Hridaya kamalam.  In front of the mantapam there is usually small space available so this small kolam for decoration

Navratri kolangal

A padi kolam theme - rangoli designs with lines 

A simple lines kolam can be drawn for decorating the kolu for one of the days of Navaratri particularly on a Navarathri Friday.  The images  below show how a simple lines  kolam is drawn.  It is not a classical  padi kolam, because according to my kolam tradition, we start padi kolam with a square base drawn with four or five lines.  I usually draw four lines and for festivals  I use five lines and decorate the kolam with  neli or curved lines also.

This type of kolam uses small squares , placed in various patterns and using lines square grids are drawn and they are connected by curved lines.  Finally we can decorate the kolam with free hand  patterns or motifs to enhance the beauty of the kolam. 


 The final picture of these kolam usually appear to make them appear complicated, actually they are very easy when viewed as separate  elements.  The pictures should make  the kolam self  explanatory, I hope.

This post will predominantly have padi kolam  and other kolam with lines ( also called geethaa muggulu In Telugu ) for a change a simple free hand kolam has also been added.

 

This  is a simple free hand kolam with white ,blue and orange combination that can be drawn for the  kolu particularly if there is lack  of space.  Small  is beautiful as some  would agree.  Following the tradition is more important , if we have space we can draw big kolam with lots of colours too.

Varalakshmi Vratham Pooja kolam for mandapam

Using a simple lines kolam theme that is used in padi kolam we can draw a basic kolam with lines that can be drawn for festivals like  Navratri and Varalakshmi Vratham.  As usual  decorate with a kaavi also called geru or red ochre border to highlight the fact that these  are been drawn for festivals.  This kolam can be drawn for the golu or for as a Varalakshmi  Vratham  Pooja kolam before  the mandapam where we keep the kalasam. 

The next kolam with lines for the festival season including Varalakshmi Nonbu and Navratri upto Dasara is a different type of kolam.  The pictures below show the step by step procedure for this simple  and beautiful kolam. It is as  if one krishnan dindu pattern has been inserted on placed  on another. Krishnan dindu is the basic pattern with lines both straight and curved drawn on all  four sides, it is called so because it resembles a bolster .

Geethala muggulu as these rangoli designs with lines are also called can  be drawn for Margazhi ( Dhaurmasam ) as also for New Year or Sankranti ( Pongal festival )

After some padi kolam , a dotted kolam that is different type  and can be drawn for these festivals for the kolu or the Puja mantap.  Though the kolam appears relatively big if we place the dot grid such that the gaps between the dots in any two rows or adjacent dots is less we can accommodate this kolam before the kolu display or Varamahalakshmi Puja Mantap.  

I have drawn the same type of kolam with a square pattern at the centre, this kolam has a hexagon pattern at the centre.  The dot pattern is 10,9,8,7,8,9,10 and 3,2,1 dots on either side ( these dots start from the fourth dot of the row with 10 dots ) .  This is quite a common kolam.  The kolam lines are drawn outside the dot grid in this type of kolam designs / rangoli designs.

Place the dot grid, draw the pattern at the centre, then connect the edges to get a hexagon, outside this draw a bigger hexagon.  The remaining dots in the star shaped dot pattern formed can be used to form patterns so that all the dots are used up.  We can some simple designs at the centre.

The nine pictures below, I think will be sufficient to know the steps and procedures for this kolam. It is not as simple as it appears to be and we need some practice. 

Varamahalakshmi festival rangoli designs

This kolam , I created when I was trying a simple and different lines kolam.  This can be drawn with four lines or five lines.  Instead of the usual square pattern we start a padi kolam with , I have used a hexagonal pattern to start this rangoli design with lines.  After drawing the hexagon, extend with lines from all the six edges parallel ( as humanly as possible ) to the line below.  Draw two more lines between these lines.  Now draw curved lines from the four straight lines to get a beautiful and simple padi kolam line.  Since it is a relatively small kolam we can draw for the Navarathri golu on Friday or for Varalakshmi Vratham decoration before the mandapam.  Adding free hand decorations around the kolam is according to our imagination.  I have placed dots and pressed them with fingers to make them flat and round to a different type of kolam.  The pics below should help us in knowing the step by step procedure to draw this kolam.

kolam or muggu for Varamahalakshmi Pooja and Navratri 

Another simple lines kolam design with a star pattern is shown step by step in the pictures below.   The central star pattern can be drawn free hand .   I have used a 5,4,3 dot pattern.  Draw the star shaped pattern and draw one more similar pattern outside .  Connect lines to form parallelogram shapes on six sides.  Draw intersecting lines inside the parallelograms .  Connect the lines in adjacent geometric shapes (  parallelograms ) with curved lines - we get three lines the fourth line is the one connecting adjacent shapes, because it is tradition to use four or five lines for lines kolam designs.

Hope the pictures below give an idea of how to proceed with this easy lines kolam.

Kaavi or ochre powder mixed in water is used to make a border along the contours of the kolam to signify that it  is drawn for an auspicious festival.

Varalakshmi Vratham muggulu 

One more traditional padi kolam with a square pattern formed with four lines horizontal and vertical as we find in our traditional padi kolam ( of course occasionally we should try some thing different too ).  I have stopped at a stage to make the padi kolam simple, we can have more lines that criss cross to make it more complicated.  Actually these lines rangoli designs are not complicated at all.  The final image may appear so whereas if we know the intermediate steps it should  be as easy as 1,2,3.  I add dots in the gaps where the lines intersect as you would  have seen many of the lines kolam designs in Rangolisansdots .  Also after completing the lines patterns it is customary to draw some pattern in the centre without leaving it empty and we can also draw some floral or other patterns to decorate the periphery of the kolam

Such padi kolam or lines rangoli can also be tried for Vinayaka Chaturthi or Vinayaka Chavithi

A simple decoration idea for Navratri with kolam / geethala muggulu 

I have added a lot of images because pictures can convey the idea better than words.  These nine rangoli images should give us an idea to draw this easy and not very difficult kolam The dot grid is placed and the lines are drawn outside the dot grid , the lines are then connected with curve lines .  Finally some decorations inside the kolam to get the rangoli ready for the festival decoration. Try for Navratri 2016

This special and different kolam may be suitable for Karthigai Deepam kolam with deepam placed on the edges for decoration or for New Year kolam free hand designs

Navratri golu decoration ideas for home

My mother used to teach us that Navratri golu ( or kolu ) is to be given the importance we give for Pooja room.  So the place before the golu is cleaned every day and new kolam is drawn for decoration every day .  Invariably a small padi kolam is drawn because the kolu itself occupies lot of space. So one more idea of a simple and small padi kolam for Navratri ( for nine days including Saraswathi Pooja and Ayudha Pooja ).  The step by step procedure for the kolam given through imags