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Rangoli and kolam: the doorstep pattern
A pattern drawn on the ground at the threshold — daily in much of the south, at festivals almost everywhere. Made from powder, so it's swept away and made again tomorrow.
The regional forms
| Kolam | Tamil Nadu. Usually white rice flour on a swept, damp doorstep, drawn freehand around a grid of dots (pulli). Daily, at dawn, before the household wakes |
| Rangoli | North and west. Coloured powders, often filled-in floral and geometric designs; mostly festival work |
| Muggu | Andhra and Telangana — dot-grid patterns, elaborate during Sankranti |
| Alpana | Bengal. Painted with a rice-paste liquid rather than powder, flowing and freehand |
| Mandana | Rajasthan. Red ochre ground with white patterns, on walls as well as floors |
What it's for
- Welcome and auspiciousness — an invitation at the threshold, particularly to Lakshmi, goddess of prosperity.
- An offering to small creatures. Rice flour kolams are traditionally meant to be eaten by ants and birds — feeding other beings as the first act of the day.
- Daily discipline — swept, drawn, gone by evening, drawn again. In many households it's the first task before dawn.
Making one
Start with a dot grid — 5×5 is plenty — and connect the dots with looping lines. Rice flour, chalk powder or fine sand all work. Traditional kolams are drawn in a single continuous loop, which is harder than it sounds and the reason the good ones look so satisfying.
Last updated: 2026-08-11
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