In the South of India Rangoli is known as Kolam. Kolams are thought to bestow prosperity to the homes. Kolams are usually done with dry rice flour, for longevity
Matchstick Kolam, I have named it so because Amma(my mom) does it using a matchstick. Amma traces the patterns on the tile or a slab of granite in front of God and then retraces them with a matchstick. This makes it appear bold and accented and its very easy to make too. Amma does this Kolam everyday in front of God, since I used to watch it while growing up, I decided that this tradition is here to continue and I faithfully continue to put Rangoli in front of God.
The important thing here is, The powder, If you use rice flour it wont work nor will it work if you use only Rangoli powder. Both have to be mixed in equal proportions for that perfect blend.; When using Rice flour don’t use the very fine ground rice flour that is widely available in the market, you can even powder rice at home, the consistency comes better when ground at home. You can make Rangoli powder for a year and keep, but it must be kept in an airtight bag and we must be careful that we shouldn’t use a wet spoon or let it come in contact with moisture
In the Rangoli shown in the picture you can see Chakra(Wheel), Shankha(Conch) and in the middle is the kolam for the day. Everyday the Kolam changes, It is auspicious to put certain kolams on certain days. I also write different verses in praise of the lord on different days and retrace it with matchstick.
For more info on Rangoli or Kolam do read my article Different types of Rangoli or Kolam under the “Tradition and Culture “ section of my other blog.
http://sukanya-keralaiyer.blogspot.com/
The URL is :-
http://sukanya-keralaiyer.blogspot.com/2007/06/different-types-of-rangoli-or-kolam.html
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