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In 2006

The term Rangoli is derived from words rang (colour) and aavalli (‘coloured creepers’ or ‘row of colours’). Rangoli is one of the most popular art forms in India. It is a form of sandpainting decoration that uses finely ground white powder and colours. Rangoli can be use as wall art or as floor art. Rangoli is used commonly outside homes in India.

Origin: The origin of rangoli painting is traced to a legend recorded in the Chitralakshana. Does anybody know how first painting was made???

When the son of a King’s high priest died, Brahma, Lord of the universe, asked the king to paint the likeness of the boy so that Brahma could breathe life into him again. This is how, it is believed, the first painting was made. Also, the son of the king painted a portrait of a girl whom the son liked very much. Although, the king would not let his son see her. Rangoli also became a form of a women self portrait.

Another popular story is that God, in one of his creative episodes, extracted the juice from one of the mango trees as paint, and drew the figure of a woman so beautiful that it put the heavenly maidens to shame.

Rangoli is known by different names in different parts of the country; Aalpana in Bengal, Aripana in Bihar, Madana in Rajasthan, Rangoli in Gujarat, Karnataka and Maharashtra, Chowkpurana in Uttar Pradesh and Kolam in Kerala and Tamilnadu, Muggu in Andhrapradesh. Some of these, especially many of the North Indian ones like Aalpana more often refer to floor painting with traditional wet color, rather than the powder rangoli more conventional in south India

Originally Rangoli was done in small patterns — 2 feet square — but now entire floor areas of rooms and hotel foyers are covered in intricate detailed designs. Traditionally, such floor decorations were done only on auspicious occasions or festivals. But today, any occasion is good enough — weddings, birthday parties, opening ceremonies, etc. In the deep South and South West of India and Kerala, flowers are used to create floor art.
Rangoli can be improvised into diverse visual art forms. For instance, it can be used to make elaborate images that look as if they were painted.

In Indian cultures, all guests and visitors occupy a very special place, and a Rangoli is an expression of this warm hospitality. In particular, the Divali festival is widely celebrated with Rangoli, since at this time, people visit each other’s homes to exchange greetings and sweets.

Colours and motifs:

The motifs in traditional Rangoli are usually taken from Nature – peacocks, swans, mango, flowers, creepers, etc. The designs are symbolic and common to the entire country, and can include geometrical patterns, with lines, dots, squares, circles, triangles; the swastika, lotus, trident, fish, conch shell, footprints (supposed to be of goddess Lakshmi), creepers, leaves, trees, flowers, animals and anthropomorphic figures. These motifs often are modified to fit in with the local images and rhythms.

The colours traditionally were derived from natural dyes – from barks of trees, leaves, indigo, etc. However, today, synthetic dyes are used in a range of bright colours. The materials used for Rangoli take on either a flat appearance, when a uniform monolayer of powders are sprinkled or a 3-D effect when different sized grains like cereals, pulses etc are used either in their natural colouring or tinted with natural dyes are used. Some artists use the 3-D effect for borders alone while others create beautiful designs using grains and beads entirely. Coloured powder can be directly used for fancy decorations, but for detailed work, generally the material is a coarse grained powder base into which colors are mixed. The base is chosen to be coarse so that it can be gripped well and sprinkled with good control. The base can be sand, marble dust, saw dust brick dust or other materials. The colors generally are very fine pigment podwers like gulal/aabir available for Holi or colors (mentioned above) specially sold for Rangoli in South India. Various day to day colored powders like indigo used for cloth staining, spices like turmeric, chili, rawa, rice flour, flour of wheat etc are also variously used. Powder colors can be simply mixed into the base. If the base is light like saw dust, it can be used to make floating rangoli on the surface of stagnant water. Sometimes saw-dust or sand is soaked into water-based color and dried to give various tints.

Rangoli also has a religious significance, enhancing the beauty of the surroundings and spreading joy and happiness all around.

Source: Wikipedia.

Drawing Rangoli with dots:-
First you have to choose a base. The base can be of sand, marble dust, saw dust, brick dust or other materials. Many people use brown or red stone sand-base. We take sand and little bit of water and spread on ground. Use water so that sand will not be removed easily. Now start drawing dots (these dots are guiding dots for your to draw the Rangoli).
Either you can draw dots on your own or can buy paper of dots from market. Drawing dots by hand is difficult as we cannot put dots symmetrically. If dots are not in the same distance then the Rangoli looks asymmetrical & out of shape. So the better option is to buy paper with dots to draw Rangoli from the market. Wherever you buy Rangoli colors, you also get the dotted paper too from the same place.

Now how to use that paper??
You just have to put paper aligned in the direction you want your Rangoli to be. Paper should not be folded. Hold it firmly on the sand-base or put some weight on the edges of paper. Then put some amount of White Rangoli on the dotted paper and spread it until it covers as many dots u want(as per your design). Then hold on to all the edges of paper and carefully pick up the paper, taking care not to spill the white powder on any other place or through the dots. Now the dots are ready, you can choose the design from any idea in your mind or from the different designs available on this site. Try to draw it by connecting the dots. If you are drawing for the first time then choose a small design and a design that does not contain circular shapes. After drawing the Rangoli use different colors to decorate it.

If you are a pro then you can draw Rangoli without dots and even if you are not a pro, try to draw Rangoli with small shapes without taking help of the guiding dots and slowly you will master the technique and can make beautiful, large design of your imagination without the help of the guiding dots. And unless you try, you don’t know your capabilities!
You also get some pre-fabricated shapes of Rangoli in the market on which you just have to fill color and to roll it on the sand-base. You can also use that and make Rangoli designs quickly… Happy designing!!

In the early days we used to draw small Rangoli using dots. Now-a-days we can use many things. We have different ideas to draw Rangoli. We can use rice-flour , kumkum, haldi (turmeric powder) to draw Rangoli. We can use flowers like rose petals, marigold petals or finely cut greens-grass. Then we can use rice or coloured rice and many other groceries. Basically now days people draw Rangoli as per their imagination. Everyone should try to draw Rangoli using different materials, different imaginations, because without experimentation you cannot achieve something special.

How To Draw Water Rangoli:

Water Rangoli is another exiting as well as new type of Rangoli. Because many of us draw Rangoli on sand or floor only. Lets see how to draw underwater Rangoli. Its very simple task.

1.) You have to select the design you want to draw. (If you are experimenting for the first time, then select simple design just to try out, after that you could go for difficult designs.)

2.) After selecting a design, just think what are the colors you are going to use. You can draw using only white color or use different colors.

3.) Take a bowl of glass in which you are going to put your Rangoli underwater. Glass bowl will give 3-D effect as its inside water and glass is transparent. Put water inside that bowl.

4.) Take a plate on which you are going to draw the Rangoli. Plate should be clean. You can use transparent plate, this will add more beauty.

5.) Apply ample amount of oil on plate. As oil and water never mix.

6.) Draw the Rangoli on that plate. After drawing wait for few minutes, let the sand or powder absorb the oil.

7.) Now pour little more oil to wet the powder from the side slowly (from the side since you don’t want the power to spread).

8.) Now take that plate and put it inside the glass bowl at bottom surface. And see the effect. Nothing will happen to Rangoli as you are using oil.

Note: Be sure that powder absorbs oil and put ample amount of oil. Do not put oil in large quantity.

You can use many flower petals or lamps (diya) to decorate this Rangoli.

As one of my friend told me, you can draw Rangoli on water also. You just have to use some material which neither dissolve or sink in water. Many people use different materials. This can be done by spreading distemper on the surface of the water. As distemper neither dissolve in water readily nor sinks in. And then over that surface we can paint Rangoli using Rangoli power or Rangoli sand. You can use any other material also.

Use your imagination and have fun!!