Kolam by Sudha Balaji

We use the term " ezhai " in Tamil Nadu when referring to line rangoli designs.  Actually, ezhai does not mean line only.   Ezhai refers to a strand of a thread.  It can be considered as a metaphor.  We should draw lines that are as thin as a strand of a thread.   Of course, with kola podi the thinnest possible lines that can be drawn should be drawn when we make this type of rangoli.   This is also a beautiful method of representing this simple art, just like double stroke technique. Remember to decorate the kolam with wet kaavi (we can draw using a cloth, I use a cotton bud dipped in wet kaavi )  to indicate that it is an auspicious function or festival. The pics above show the step-by-step procedure to draw the design.  Maintaining thin lines throughout comes with practice. Rangoli tip How to draw thin lines - Take minimum quantity of kolam podi.   Step by step pictures for line rangoli padi kolam Old time rangoli using...

A collection primarily comprising geethala muggulu for the festival.  You can save these designs for drawing on Fridays and functions too.   This rangoli website is a very huge collection of different types of rangolis.  Though I take a lot of care it is possible that rarely some designs may repeat in two different posts.   If you come across duplicates, please let me know.   Traditional rangoli designs with lines called padi kolam in Tamil are drawn for auspicious occasions and festivals.  They are preferably decorated with kaavi .  When these type of kolam are seen in the courtyard of a house, a message is conveyed that there is a celebration in the house. This collection can be used for one of the many rangoli we draw for the important festival for Goddess Lakshmi  Apart from the usual kolam at the entrance, I draw on the Mandap, before the Mandap and in the Pooja room also  You may also be interested in this collection i.e...

 It is said that Goddess Parvathi requested Lord Shiva to tell Her a Vratha which when performed by women will ensure all good things and blessings. Lord Shiva said there is such a Vratha which has to be observed on a Friday preceding Sravana Full Moon.   She asked how to observe this Vratha. Lord Shiva narrated a story. In Magadha there was a town called Kundini.  All houses were built with and full of gold.  In the town there was a lady called Charumathi.  She was the most pious lady in the town.  She performed all her duties with devotion and so earned the blessings of Goddess Lakshmi Once Goddess Lakshmi appeared in her dream and said, I am Varalakshmi Devi.  Worship Me on the Friday preceding Sravana Pournami.  I will confer all riches and blessings (Money alone is not wealth).  There are sixteen blessings that are sought by us human beings.   Goddess Lakshmi in the form of Varalakshmi can give us all the 16 blessings (Go...

 Try this different padi kolam for Sri Krishna Jayanthi.  You have to believe it, I created this instantaneously.  Lotus patterns are most welcome for festivals.  This is where I thought for a while before adding them as shown in the images. Dots, spirals, shading always add more beauty to the kolam .  White rangoli is also beautiful, we can display it without colours as is usually done.  At the centre we can draw Lord Krishna's Feet instead of the standard intersecting inclined lines that we usually draw.  Rangoli tips - Care should be taken while drawing the 8 like patterns with lines on four sides.  Either they should touch the square formed by the lines or all should be equidistant from the square.  One or two touching and the other designs not touching may not be all right from the symmetry point of view.   It is more difficult because of the four half-elliptical patterns; the outermost line is drawn last.  Hence, control ...

The festival of Navaratri after nine days of celebration ends with Dasara the next day, it is celebrated after Ayudha Pooja (in the South)  when the tools and vehicles we use are cleaned, washed and Puja is performed to them. The first rangoli for this festival, a padi kolam as rangoli with lines are called.  It is a tradition to use this type of design for festivals.   I have used five lines in this design.  Some prefer to have even number of lines but in our family, we use 2,4 or 5 lines, rarely six.   Other numbers are not used. On the four sides draw shankh or conch patterns and at the edges draw floral designs. The centre of the padi kolam is usually decorated with pairs of diagonals.  However, I have drawn the same floral pattern for a change.   It is a nice idea to draw such traditional rangoli designs if you have not tried so far. The next lines rangoli is somewhat different and unique, it starts with a pattern with lines inside. ...