Rangolis – Creative art of India

 From rectangle to a circle she takes endless shapes,

 From peacock to a lotus she wears boundless designs,

She is an imagination of every artistic woman.

Kolam, Muggu, Mandana, Aplana are some of her distinct identities.

Rice grains, flour, sand chalk and OHP sheets all engross to make her come alive!

She is as vibrant as her name…

She is Rangoli.

Rangolis are artistic imagination of any women. We always create our own designs, with catchy color combinations. Rangoli is an ancient tradition followed over years and years in India. The thing is most of us do not know from where actually this ritual of drawing rangolis started. History has many theories regarding the origin of rangolis. The Indian scriptures and puranas can be attributed for the emergence of this creative art. It is believed that this art form is originated from the Indian state of Maharashtra, from where it gradually dispersed in other states of the country.

According to the earliest disquisition or treatise on Indian painting named Chitra Lakshana, a king and kingdom were extremely grieved as the king’s priest’s son died. Everybody along with the distressed king offered prayers to the creator of universe, Lord Brahma to grant life to the boy. Being moved by the prayers, Lord Brahma asked the king to paint the likeness of the boy on the floor so that Brahma could breathe life into the portrait. Thus the relieving the entire kingdom from this sorrow and pain. This portrait is considered to be the first rangoli. This mythological tale is considered to be the scriptural evidence of this art form. Another legend says that, God in one of his creative mood extracted the juice of a mango and painted a portrait of a beautiful woman. The portrait was made in such a way that put all the maidens in heaven at shame. This portrait is believed to be the origin of the creative art form, rangolis.

Rangoli is an ancient symbol of Indian art that have been passed down through the ages. The Hindi word Rangoli is derived from two words rang which means colour and aavali which means rows. Thus Rangoli is the row of colours.

Rangoli is the charm of every doorway in India. With the rising of sun, woman across India take a bath early in the morning and begin their day by drawing auspicious Rangoli. Generally, the patterns of rangoli take their inspiration from nature. The designs of birds, flowers, stars in rangoli depict the divine connection between man and the nature. When these designs get sprinkled with attractive colours, they endow one with tranquility, joy and good luck.

Rangoli is more than just an art. It is a science of creating energy pool. While creating Rangoli, women often sing sacred mantras to guard themselves from evil forces. Our fingers are the energy dissipating centers that transmit energy in every design we make.  These energies further are capable of changing our thought, feelings and emotions followed with a good mood. Rangoli help us to stay connected with our being and gain an undisrupted attention.

 No wonder why Rangoli plays a crucial role in marriages, deity festivals and religious celebrations. During Diwali, Rangoli is created in the entrance of the house, not only to welcome guest but also the goddess Lakshmi.  On Onam, women celebrate 10 days festival by making large sized Rangoli out of vivid flowers.  Even today for ladies of south India, Kolam holds one of the most important rituals of their lives.