What Is Kolam?

The meaning of the word Kolam is beauty. Kolam is a drawing on the floor made of rice paste, rice flour, white stone powder, chalk, etc. It is usually drawn as a ceremonial design in traditional Indian festivities or pujas. Kolam is a drawing composed of two-dimensional shapes, straight lines, loops, and curves. There are various names for Kolam in the different states of India.

• Kolam in Tamil, Malayalam, and Kannada
• Muggu in Telugu
• Rangoli in Kannada
• Alpona in Bengal

Also, the practice of Kolam is found in Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand.