Kolam Culture

For the past 1 period each the houses successful West Mambalam

had a colourful frontage. I was enjoying the creativity

of women portion passing done those streets.

Having been brought up successful a location with spacious frontage

kolam drafting was a regular ritual, contesting with each women

successful the family.Girls from the property of 4 oregon 5 were

trained successful kolam.During temple processions erstwhile deities are taken retired

through residential streets, we utilized to gully precise large kolam

sometimes dashing done the kolam of the other house.

Drawing imaginary borderline lines was an absorbing affair.

We whitethorn beryllium nether the incorrect content that drafting kolam

started from vedic age.We are wrong.

There is nary notation to the kōlam either successful the Tamil word-lists

(called Nigandus), Tamil literature, successful past paintings oregon successful any

travellers' account.

Contrary to fashionable belief, the communal threshold patterns are not

very ancient. The signifier of decorating the level whitethorn spell backmost to astir

six 100 years and not more. A fewer designs whitethorn beryllium traced to the Jain

temples of South Kanara and astatine slightest 1 to Mahayana Buddhism…

In Tamil lit the usage of the connection kōlam for drafting patterns on

the level is met with for the archetypal clip successful a Kuravanji called Madurai

Meenatchiammai Kuram and a small aboriginal successful Kutrala Kuravanji.

These works subordinate to 16th oregon 17th period only.

However immoderate geometric patterns, yantra oregon Tantric designs that

are utilized successful kōlam are of rather past root and person a notation successful Vedic texts.

Though the connection kōlam appears respective times successful past Tamil Sangam literature,

it does not convey the meaning of what we accidental arsenic kolam .The connection is utilized

with the meaning of disguise,play, beauty, signifier etc.

In immoderate of the inscriptions of Tirunelvel district

it is mentioned that the threshold of homes should not beryllium near blank;

they should beryllium filled with ritual designs,

An accidental to gully kolam wrong the prakaram of the temple

was a boastful event.Completion of a plan covering astir 300 s.ft

was a task successful itself.During week agelong festivals kolam insired everybody.

During summertime festival of Pancha Prakaram

of Thiruvanaikoil immoderate 10 oregon 15 girls formed a squad to sermon

about assorted designs successful antithetic prakaramsAn full week was spent for the activity..

The main occupation went to the adept Mami.

. Each time earlier dawn, during the Brahma muhurtam

(believed to beryllium the clip erstwhile Brahma and each different deities

descend to the earth) and sometimes earlier dusk, millions of women in

the town, villages and the cities of South IndiaTamil Nadu gully kōlam connected

the thresholds and floors of houses, temples and businesses.

In Tamil culture, the threshold is of large value .

If you observe closely, the kōlam patterns are drawn deftly by women

with the tips of their fingers utilizing pinches of flour held betwixt

the thumb and the archetypal digit and letting the pulverization autumn successful a

continuous enactment by moving the manus successful desired directions .

The process involves concentration, representation and a bid of disciplined

manus and assemblage movements.

On the look of it, the patterns look rather simple,

but it takes years of signifier and grooming to maestro the analyzable Kōlams.

The kōlam is created successful a fewer minutes oregon a fewer hours, and aft only

a fewer hours, it disappears nether the feet of a passerby. In kōlam making

the process of making and getting mislaid is repeated arsenic a rhythm, wherein

caller patterns are made arsenic aged ones get mislaid successful immoderate infinitesimal of the day.

Kōlam is besides much geometrical and involves an intrinsic mathematical

aptitude arsenic compared to Rangoli oregon different fashionable level creation traditions.

Many kolams are based connected Fibonacci series, algebraic and numeric principles.

Kōlam epitomizes geometrical properties of symmetry, periodicity/repetition,

recursion and bushed though the rustic colony women,

why adjacent the educated ones, bash not cognize the subject Most kōlam

patterns often see the usage of concepts from calculus and

applied mathematics. But women bash it arsenic REFLEX ACTION.

For peculiar occasions to marque the kōlam clasp longer, the atom flour is made

wet by adding water. A tiny cloth portion folded implicit (or a insubstantial towel) is

dipped into the liquid atom paste and placed betwixt the thumb,

the forefinger, and the mediate digit and pressed until

drops of bedewed achromatic atom flour

pours done the beforehand extremity of the 3 fingers. The kōlam is created,

almost arsenic if the fingers were acting arsenic an ink pen. These semi-permanent

kōlams are called mākōlam. Basic geometrical shapes are combined

and overlapped successful expanding analyzable designs to correspond peculiar

forces oregon qualities embodied successful immoderate facet of creation, improvement oregon dissolution.

. There are peculiar kolams for assorted occasions like

Deepavali,Pongal, Janmashtami, New twelvemonth etc, Birth Days etc

• Kōlam connected peculiar occasions–vrats( ineffable vows) :There are also

immoderate seldom drawn kōlams, specified arsenic the navagraha kōlams, which are

done lone successful beforehand of household shrines, and lone connected peculiar occasions.

Kalyana kolams are unique.

A precise large Kōlam is made successful the location connected the 13th time of the ceremonial of the

departed soul. The grih shanti hawan (ritual wherein offerings are made to

a consecrated fire) is done.

• • Chikku/Sikku (Knot oregon twisted) kōlam: In this kōlam plan the

curved lines are made astir the dot making an intricate signifier wherever one

tin not fig retired wherever the plan begins from and wherever it ends.

Many kolams tin beryllium made retired of positive and treble positive symbols

and X designs.Unless you spot the kolam successful process, you cant find out

however the last fig has arrived. Interesting.

The lack of a kolam signifies either the household is not Hindu oregon

an inauspicious lawsuit similar decease has occurred successful the household.

In that consciousness the kōlam tin beryllium seen arsenic an underlying ocular mapping of the

auspiciousness and inauspiciousness; ritual purity and ritual contamination for

Tamil households successful the discourse of ritual abstraction and clip

Besides, the ritual resonance, determination are a big of different layered meanings

ascribed to the kolam. It is considered arsenic a substance of pridefulness and satisfaction

for Tamil Hindu women to beryllium capable to gully the accepted one-curve kolam

in 1 spell alternatively than successful pieces. Traditionally, Kolam skills are considered as

a motion of the endowment and prowess of a pistillate successful her capableness arsenic the

proprietrix of the household. During the ineffable Margazhi period

women vie with 1 different successful a tone of playful

competition successful the assorted Kolam contests

organized successful cities, towns and villages successful Tamil Nadu

Kolam displays each the six categories of mathematical skills: counting,

locating (identifying), measuring, designing, playing

(experimenting) and explaining

are progressive . In bid to beryllium capable to marque a cleanable design, the women

request to support a number of vertices, the numbers of curves and the

points astatine which the curves oregon lines meet.

Though physically astatine the property of 81,I americium not capable to beryllium astatine

a spot to gully ample kolams, I americium capable to enactment it successful writing.

Practically I took a longer clip to constitute an effort

rather than to picture a kolam of the largest size of 15 ftx 15ft.

Kolam is truly a expansive KOLAM ( BEAUTIFUL SIGHT)

Jayasala 42