Rangoli is one of the most popular art among Indian women, which is mainly painted on the ground in front of their houses using different color powders. This art can be predominantly seen during the tamil month of MAARKAZHI in Tamil Nadu, India. The MAARKAZHI month falls between December 15th and January 15th in western calendar. According to Hindu mythology, during this month the Goddess ANDAL prayed to the Lord THIRUMAL to marry her. It was said that her wish came true. So, this month is said to be so auspicious for unmarried girls to pray to god to have a spouse of their dreams. During this month unmarried girls arise before the Sun rise to paint beautiful rangolis to welcome the Lord THIRUMAL and they sing THIRUPPAVAI, praises of the Lord THIRUMAL which was said to be sung by the Goddess ANDAL.

Following are some samples of Rangoli designs:

Click on the images to see the larger images.

Copyright © 1999 Vidhya L. Babu