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Easy rangoli designs - beginners

30+ rangoli kolam simple designs  Though I have drawn all the designs myself personally I am thankful to my family for the inputs, information and help in drafting all the posts so far.  I have used the terms kolam  rangoli quite freely in all the posts. Probably there would have been differences based on classical (!) explanations in the past but today kolams can also be colourful like rangolis both in the free hand and dots type  I find that even the terms rangoli kolam and kolam rangoli are used at  present. The only area where I think kolam are different are in sikku kolam and arisi maavu kolam. Both are beautiful, challenging and can be intricate. Rangoli is muggulu in Telugu and so this post will be useful for those in search of small and simple muggulu for beginners.  This post   may have answers  kutty rangoli /kolam designs The rangoli in the image below is one of the basic designs that can be used for learning.   Form a star w...
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Simple alpona alpana border designs pics

 Wet Arisi maavu kolam or alpona borders

Rangoli has synonyms in the art forms  arisi maavu kolam (rangoli made with rice flour paste) and Alpona.  Both are somewhat similar.

                                                                      Alpona for beginners

Simple-alpona-designs-image-2609.jpg
Alpona rangoli design beautiful and simple 

Arisi maavu kolam translated means rangoli drawn with rice flour.
 It can be drawn with dry or wet rice flour. 

 However I discuss here wet rice flour rangoli since the technique is similar to that of traditional  alpona 
(I understand it is also drawn with rice flour paste)

The thickness/consistency of the rice flour paste varies according to rangoli making method adopted.  We can use fingers, or a cloth dipped in rice flour paste to draw the kolam.

At present ready-made sticks are available.  All designs here have been taken when the flour is wet.
The rangoli becomes bright when the flour dries.

We can also grind rice flour paste in a mixer, make the paste in various shapes and dry them.  The dried rice flour cakes are used to make rangoli. 

 The lines are drawn after dipping them in water to liquefy them again.
Alpona design simple 

Simple-alpona-designs-image-2609a.jpg
rangoli alpona design simple easy

Both alpona and arisi maavu kolam are left white without filling up with colours.
Here I would like to follow the traditional method of drawing using fingers only.

I understand that alpona design for door, stairs, alpona border designs are common.  Alpona art is common in West Bengal. 

 I have shared a wet rice flour rangoli below considered to be auspicious and drawn in Pooja room in South India.
It can be drawn as alpona for Laxmi Puja. 

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Traditional kolam with wet rice flour 

A rose by any other name smells as sweet.  Similarly, rangoli art has different names in different parts of our country.  However, the beauty is the same. Fortunately, we have continuity in culture, traditions and festivals in our country be it in any state or any part of Bharat, East, West, North or South.  So, the same art with variations depending upon local conditions, ingenuity and imagination is practised with another name just as we have Hindustani and Carnatic music in kolam art too we have different names in different places. All these schools of rangoli art have the same theme, they are a visual treat to see, last for a while, a medium to express happiness, to meditate and to look inward.

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