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Rangoli, the floor Art
Rangoli known as Kolam in South India, Chowkpurana in Northern India, Madana in Rajasthan, Aripana in Bihar and Alpana in Bengal is the ancient Hindu religious floor art. A colourful design, Rangoli is made near the doorway to a house to welcome guests. Traditionally they are decorated or fashioned out of coloured sand/rice powder. A proportioned plan or picture (Gods, Goddess, Dancers, Diwas etc.) is drawn and coloured rice powder/sand is then coated on top to form a picture.

In a customary household, the lady of the house starts her daily household tasks by drawing some Rangoli lines in front of the pooja room .Her regular routine begins after this ritua which infuses in her a good feeling as well as a sense of cleanliness around the household.

Material for a colourful Rangoli
The rangoli patterns are regularly made with rice powder that has been decorated with dyes. Sand is often used, varied with paint or coloured with foodstuff colourings. You can even use flower petals, cereals, turmeric powder, to lend colour to your rangoli. You may generate spaces within the rangoli drawing to place diyas. You could also use flower petals of different colours (golden marigolds, bright red roses) to add that additional facet to your design.

With a dash of artistic sense you can produce a piece of art that will add lots of colour to your diwali celebrations. Rose petals, marigold petals, small purple paper flowers, finely cut greens-grass/ leaves-even methi leaves can be used to fill up the designs. Use strings of marigold and if you like strings of jasmine flowers to draw round. And add diyas to any design that you make to add to the glisten.

Rangoli Motifs
Most of the Rangoli designs are motifs of plants, flowers, leaves of coconut, lotus, mango, and peepal. Animal figures of cows, elephants, and horses and birds like eagles and swans. There are geometrical designs as well. When drawn with fingers, these obtain special magnitude on their own.