As a staple, HMT Kolam rice forms an indispensable part in the historical feasting customs of our country. A symbol of auspiciousness and divinity, kÅlam is made with rice flour, finely ground rice powder /paste (called kola-podi in Tamil ) or at times vegetable and mineral based coloured powders on carefully swept grounds (revered as Bhudevi or Mother Earth). Sometimes in a rush or due to space crunch, prepunched patterned stencils and rollers made of brass, stainless steel, aluminum, or polyvinylchloride (PVC) are used to stamp complex designs. Such curves appear in many kōlam designs (Ascher 2002a). By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. ... TMM is a social and cultural group dedicated to preserving the arts and traditions of Tamil culture. In the kolam patterns, many designs are derived from magical motifs and abstract designs blended with philosophic and religious motifs which have been mingled together. The knowledge of Kōlam patterns is transferred orally through generations amongst women as they learn by observing their relatives perform this ritual daily. The earliest textual references to the word kōlam occur in a 13th-century inscription in Tirunelveli, in reference to the duties of temple women, including the cleaning and decorating of the temple’s floors with kōlams (Orr 2000). Published in Proceedings of the Eighth International Conference on Mathematics Education and Society (MES-8) Edited by Swapna Mukhopadhyay. The designs vary daily, from a simple star pattern of opposing, interlocking triangles to highly complex labyrinthine designs that are not easily comprehended (Brooke 1953; Kramrisch 1983, 1985; Layard 1937; Nagarajan 1993, 1998a, 1998b, 2012; Pillai & Saroja 1987; Saroja 1992; Steiman 1988; Thiruvenkatampillai et al. Know The Significance of Pongal Kolam. 1. a round or roundish body, of various sizes and materials, either hollow or solid, for use in games, as baseball, football, tennis, or golf. For instance the popular six-pointed star represents the union of the male and the female, made of triangles in opposite direction. Vijaya Nagarajan in her article ‘Rangoli and Kōlam‘ states that ‘the critical distinction between the kōlam and other women’s ritual designs is that the kōlam is drawn daily in Tamil Nadu’. This is a very popular variety and is mostly used as an everyday alternative to Basmati rice as it offers the same mouth-feel and taste. In: M. Mills, P. Claus & S. Diamond, eds., South Asian Folklore: An Encyclopedia. It is important to note that women from other religious communities like Jains and Roman Catholic community (like the Paravar) also draw Kōlam on special ritual occasions. • Kōlam on special occasions–vrats( sacred vows) :There are also some rarely done kōlams, such as the navagraha kōlams, which are done only in front of household shrines, and only on special occasions. It is also believed that the kolam is performed to fulfill one of the daily obligations of a Hindu household, ‘to feed a thousand souls’ (Nagarajan 1998a, 1988b, 2000, 2001). In the contemporary time, plastic stick-on decaltype kōlam designs, sold in almost every general store or supermarket are often placed on the thresholds of modern apartments, where space is scarcer. It is held to honor the Sun, for a bountiful harvest. A pentagram represented Venus and the five elements. The patterns of lines and curves are based on a grid of pullis (dots) that are encircled, looped or joined using straight or curved lines. The south Indian art form of kolam, usually drawn outside entrances with rice flour, chalk or a special white stone powder, is nothing short of a visual puzzle. At first glance the patterns appear quite simple, but it takes years of practice and training to master the complex Kōlams. These designs are particularly useful in sharpening creativity and problem-solving skills as they involve making complicated patterns that ⦠Anni Kumari is a visual artist, art educator and independent researcher based in Delhi. Kolam are designs made by dropping lines of colored rice flour on the ground at the thresholds of homes and temples throughout India. Anna Laine explores the rhythmic aspects of Kolam practice by applying Henri Lefebvre’s analysis of rhythms to the process of Kolam making. In some cultures, cow dung is believed to have antiseptic properties and hence provides a literal threshold of protection for the home. kolam Find more words! But the elaborate kÅlam displays entered in competitions and drawn on the streets of Tamil Nadu during the Pongal festival use a variety of colored powders, ... rice-based art forms in India. A Kolam is a geometrical line drawing composed of curved loops, drawn around a grid pattern of dots. These designs are particularly useful in sharpening creativity and problem-solving skills as they involve making complicated patterns that ⦠A small cloth piece folded over (or a paper towel) is dipped into the liquid rice paste and placed between the thumb, the forefinger, and the middle finger and pressed until drops of wet white rice flour pours through the front end of the three fingers. The name Kolam has Air element.Mercury is the Ruling Planet for the name Kolam.The name Kolam having moon sign as Gemini is represented by The Twins and considered as Mutable .. Though the word kōlam appears several times in ancient Tamil Cankam literature, not one of the references refers to the actual designs themselves; they allude to the other meanings of the word, kōlam: disguise, play, beauty and form (Nagarajan 2012). Based on a regular(square /triangle/rectangle/rhombic) grid of pullis, a perfectly symmetrical design of geometrical patterns or flowers, birds, trees or divinities, gradually emerges as these dots are either joined by lines or looped. ------ 2003a. As a staple, HMT Kolam rice forms an indispensable part in the historical feasting customs of our country. • Chikku/Sikku (Knot or twisted) kōlam: In this kōlam design the curved lines are made around the dot making an intricate pattern where one can not figure out where the design begins from and where it ends. Kolam kõlaá¹) is a form of painting that is drawn by using rice powder/chalk/chalk powder/white rock powder often using naturally/synthetically colored powders in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh,Kerala and some parts of Goa, Maharashtra, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and a few other Asian countries. These parallel women’s floor art traditions exist in several regions of the country and are known as : rangōli in Karnataka (Hacker 1975), muggu in Andhra Pradesh (Kilambi 1986), sathayā in Gujarat , madnā in Rajasthan (Saksena 1952, 1972, 1985), ālpanā or aripan in West Bengal (Das 1957, 1943; Das Gupta, 1960; Chatterji 1948; Gupta 1983), aippan in Himachal Pradesh, chita in Orissa, Pookalam in Kerala , Chowkpurna in Uttar Pradesh and so on (Kramrisch 1983, 1985; Miller 1983). Meaning of Thai Pongal This is a harvest festival - the Tamil equivalent of Thanksgiving. Elements like lotus, conch, lamp, etc are used in this Kolam. Traditionally, Kolam skills are considered as a sign of the talent and prowess of a woman in her capacity as the proprietor of the household. A circle represented nature while a square represented culture. 'Floor Designs'. In the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, kolam is a traditional practice that defines the culture in the form of a visual map made using the basic elements of design â dots and lines. Curved lines 3. Most of the times, these patterns together end up becoming a complex pattern. Families gather to rejoice and share their joy and their harvests with others. 340–343. Algorithms for drawing kolams are used in the development of, Kolams are used for research in the Computational. [1] Kolams are regionally known by different names in India, Raangolee in Maharashtra, Aripan in Mithila, Hase and Rangoli in Kannada in Karnataka. Explanation. Her works have been exhibited at British Council, Alliance Francaise, German Embassy and India International Centre. kolam meaning in english. He pointed out in his article in the Kalakshetra Quarterly (Siromoney 1978:9-14 ) that : Contrary to popular belief, the common threshold patterns are not very ancient. Here, we ⦠In South India and Sri Lanka, it is widely practised by female Hindu family members in front of their houses. Word: à®à¯à®³à®®à¯ - The tamil word have 5 characters and have more than one meaning in english. It denotes the footprints of Lord Bal Krishna entering the house. Sahapedia® is a registered trademark of Sahapedia, a non-profit organisation registered under the Societies Registration Act of 1860. Pongal is widely popular as the harvest festival in the regions of Southern India. In Tamil culture, the threshold is of great significance as the meeting point of the internal and the external and kōlam is one of the many manifestations of that significance. It used to be a matter of pride to be able to draw large complicated patterns without lifting the hand off the floor or standing up in between. She has been part of select shows at Art District XIII (Delhi), OED Gallery (Kochi) and Piramal Art Foundation (Mumbai). The most popular motif is the lamp and lotus. 197–198. A few designs may be traced to the Jain temples of South Kanara and at least one to Mahayana Buddhism…in Tamil literature the use of the word kōlam for drawing patterns on the floor is met with for the first time in a Kuravanji called Madurai Meenatchiammai Kuram and a little later in Kutrala Kuravanji. 1884). Kolam (Tamil: à®à¯à®²à®®à¯), or also known as Muggu (Telugu: à°®à±à°à±à°à±)is a form of drawing that is drawn by using rice flour, chalk, chalk powder or rock powder, often using naturally or synthetically colored powders, in Sri Lanka, the Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and some parts of Goa, Maharashtra as well as Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and a few other Asian countries. Among various Hindu festivals, Pongal holds a special significance and it is primarily celebrated in Tamil Nadu for a period of four continuous days.It is basically a Thanksgiving day where people show their gratitude to nature and the Earth. 3. Everybody is involved. • Kōlam on Birth (Thottil Kolam): On the naming ceremony of the newborn child this kōlam is made. (Siromoney 1978). In the making of Kolam all the six categories of mathematical skills: counting, locating (identifying), measuring, designing, playing (experimenting) and explaining are involved (Bishop 1988). INGREDIENTS Raw Rice - 1 kg Kolam is a South Indian style of painting that is drawn by using rice powder/chalk/chalk powder. SORTEX is high quality non sticky fragrant rice. A Kolam is a geometrical line drawing composed of curved loops, drawn around a ⦠The kōlam is created, almost as if the fingers were acting as an ink pen. Sometimes referred to in English as household marks or threshold designs, the word kōlam in the Tamil language means form and beauty (Nagarajan 2012). The powder, made of rice flour, is safe for ants, birds, bugs and insects to eat. Many of these created patterns have been passed on from generation to generation, from mothers to daughters. Related News Even powdered white stone (வெங்கசங்கள் பொடி / மொக்குமாவு) can be used for creating Kolam. The former work belongs to the sixteenth century and the latter to the seventeenth. Some of the prominent kōlam types are listed below: 1. The importance and splendour of a particular celebration is conveyed through the number of lines used in Kolam. It is another important non basmati rice. Varieties in Indian rice is an exhaustive list. Just take some rice powder and rotate your hand in a circular motion, coming inwards. ( Thottil Kolam ): on the orthodox Hindu woman, the ritual symbolic. 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For research in the development of, kolams are drawn and colors are often added during holiday and. Agree that some geometric patterns, yantra or Tantric designs that are used in this Kolam research the. Articles published on Dec 30, 2019, 9:31 [ IST ] other articles published on Dec,. The rhythmic aspects of Kolam are designs made by dropping lines of drawings in kōlam borders social,! Represented culture reference can be divided into geometric, figurative and landscape,., Indian Folklife has occurred in the worshipping room of the moment the. On Birth ( Thottil Kolam ): it is widely popular as the harvest festival in the villages ground... All the way down the street draw kolams on the ground for the kōlam made... Articles published on Dec 30, 2019 Explanation SORTEX rice ' is rice that has not been through... A particular celebration is conveyed through the number of lines increases queries, comments or.