Rangoli
म ाँडने
Puja of Welcoming
Carol Lynne Tombers
Visual Art Department
The Blake School
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Rangoli is a Hindi word;
derived from rang (color) and aavalli (row )
Traditionally, Rangoli is drawn on the ground, in
front of the house, and around a holy plant tulsi
(basil) during festivals.
The most common way of making a rangoli is to
pinch the thumb and the forefinger and let the
color to freely run out from the gap.
In some places in India
rangoli is a daily puja practice
Rangoli designs are created for Hindu festivals,
marriages, and birth ceremonies.
During Diwali people make rangoli designs
punctuated with oil lamps. (diyas)
During Diwali people make rangoli designs
punctuated with oil lamps. (diyas)
• One of the
most important
functions of
rangoli is the
welcoming of
Goddess
Lakshmi during
Diwali. Lakshmi
blesses people
with spiritual
and material
wealth in this
festival of the
New Year.
Mandalas
• Maṇḍala (मण्डल) is a
Sanskrit word that
means "circle". In the
Hindu and Buddhist
religious traditions
their sacred art often
takes a mandala form.
• The basic form of
most Hindu and
Buddhist mandalas is
a square with four
gates containing a
circle with a center
point. Each gate is in
the shape of a T
Mandalas
• In Buddhist
Mandalas, the
reason for
using powder
or sand as a
medium is
sometimes
thought to be a
metaphor for
the
impermanence
of life.
Materials and Motifs
• Rangoli can
be made with
marble dust,
sandstone
powder,
sand, grain,
rice flour,
wheat flour,
sawdust,
flowers etc.
Materials and Motifs
• Traditionally the
colors used are
derived from
natural dyes like
indigo,
vermillion, and
turmeric.
• Currently all
manner of
synthetically
dyed pigment
powders are
used to add
color.
Materials and Motifs
• Rangoli are often
made with
animal, plant, or
geometric
designs.
• The writing of
the primordial
sound of the
universe Aum is
common, as well
as footprints of
the goddess
Lakshmi.
History
• According to the earliest treatise on Indian painting,
the Chitra Lakshana, a king and his kingdom were
extremely grieved after death of the high priest's son.
Everyone offered prayers to the creator of the
universe, Lord Brahma for giving life to the boy.
• Brahmaji, being moved by the prayers of these people,
came and asked the king to paint a likeness of his son
on the floor. Brahmaji then put life into the portrait,
thus relieved the entire kingdom from its sorrow and
pain. This mythological tale is considered the scriptural
evidence of the origin of this beautiful Hindu art.
History
•
The Chola dynasty (c. 850-1250
CE) is known to have made
many floor paintings. These
paintings are known by
different names in different
parts of India;
•
Aalpana in Bengal
•
Madana in Rajasthan,
•
Rangoli in Gujart, Karnataka
and Maharashtra
•
Chowkpurana in Uttar
Pradesh, Muggu and
Aandhrapradesha
•
Kolam in Kerala, Tamilnadu,
and Pondicherry.
A creative inheritance.
• In early
childhood girls
start learning
the art of
making
rangolis. For
many, it is a
creative
inheritance
passed down
through the
generations.
Bibliography
•
http://chittara.ravisblognet.com/2009/10/deepavali-rangoli-design.html
•
http://chittara.ravisblognet.com/2009/03/happy-ugadi-design.html
•
http://chittara.ravisblognet.com/2009/10/round-border-patterndesigns.html
•
http://www.oocities.org/Tokyo/shrine/4287/paint1.htm
• http://www.kamat.com/picoweek/122099.htm
• http://diwali.gemzies.com/show/entry_15064/Rangoli_for_welcome_of_
Mother_.html