Kolam
A visual culture of southern India Traditional knowledge documentation By: Abhishu Roy Guide: Prof. Padmini Balaram
Content Introduction .......................................... 1 History .................................................. 2 Geographical spread ............................... 5 Symbology ............................................ 6 Iconography .......................................... 8 Methodology ......................................... 10 Variety ................................................... 20 Current Scenarios .................................. 28 Glossary ................................................ 30 Bibliography .......................................... 31
Introduction interlaced in endless knots around dots, or by lines connecting dots in a decorative design. Simple domestic art of Kolam can be as intricate and conceptual as the complex weave of the Islamic tile design.
Kolam is a ritualistic design drawn at the threshold of households and temples. It is drawn everyday at dawn and dusk by women in South India who inherit this tradition from their elders. Kolam is believed to ensnare in keeping away harmful spirits and prevent them from causing harm. It marks festivals, seasons and important events in a woman’s life such as birth, first menstruation and marriage. Kolam is indicative of ‘positive vibes‘ generated by a feminine energy that influences both the interior domestic space and the outside world. Kolam is a free-hand drawing with symmetrical and neat geometrical patterns. The drawings are very conceptual and most of the designs are stored in the cultural memory of the people. Kolam is laid on a mathematical dotted grid. It is produced either by nonlinear lines 01
History In the olden days the entrance to the house were usually unpaved. So water was sprinkled early in the morning so that the surface will not be eroded by the morning breeze and also to prevent dust from entering the house. Cowdung was mixed with water and sprinkled to act as a disinfectant. The ladies coming out to draw the kolam early in the morning had the benefit of ozone also. Previously the kolam was drawn only with rice flour. This was done so that crows, squirrels, ants may all eat the rice flour from the kolam. This is supposed to be one of the “ Pancha Maha Yagnas” which form the daily duties of a Hindu & is called “ Bhutha Yagna” which is intended to create in man, the spirit of sharing with all living beings. The kolam is a free hand drawing and a traditional form of art. These designs are believed to produce positive cosmic forces which will improve the health as
well as wealth of people who dwell in the house. It can also be interpreted as a sign of welcome to all the guest who come to the house. Since kolam is an art form, people tend to litter the area much lesser! It is believed that kolam prevents undesirable elements from entering the house. This is specially taken care of by the red “ kaavi” lines drawn around the white kolam. The red kaavi lines are supposed to block the negative energy. Thus the white kolam surrounded by red Kaavi lines, separates the auspicious, pure, protected, and safe world of the home from the inauspicious, impure, unprotected, and dangerous world of the outside. Gift Siromoney has pointed out earliest references to kolam drawing in Tamil literary works occur in Madurai Meenakshiammai Kuram (16th Century), and, later, in Thiru Kutraala Kuravanji (17th Century). 02
“The red kaavi lines are supposed to block the negative energy.�
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“An early morning picture of a Tamil village”
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Geographical Spread The tradition of kollam is practiced in all four states of Southern India. in this documentation the focus area is the city of Coimbatore and the places around it in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
Southern Indian states Tamil Nadu Coimbatore
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Symbology grace to make the home a sacred space and create a clear distinction between inside and the outside world.
Symbology of the Kolam’s vary according to the occasion it is made for roughly all kolam are representative of prosperity and good health of the family by whom it is being made. It is a conscious offering to Mother Earth. In Tamil, the word kolam implies beauty, form and play; it is a quiet ritual full of
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“A Tamil household were the young girl child learns how to draw kolam by looking at the adult women in the house. It is a completely oral and visual tradition “
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Iconography - It demarcates the presence of a feminine in the household or the vicinity. - Kolam is a sign of social energy or prominence of feminine in the society. - It marks the boundary of the to septal worlds of a Tamil women.
- It it is a visual celebration of various social and cultural changes of the household in time and in space.
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Iconography - Making of kolam is a reminder culturally, of the human dependence on nature. - Kolam is a way of acceptance of the society accepting the fact that human life revolves around the presence of a feminine. - It marks the first step towards creating a sense of a sacred space in a household as well as public rituals. - Kolam is representation of the mother earth bhu devi and is as fragile and sensitive as the earth and is dependent on living beings living on her. - It is also a means of cultural identity.
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Methodology The methodology involves three basic steps. -Priming of the soil. -Preparation of the kolam mavu.( rice powder) -Construction of the grid and lines.
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Methodology Priming of the soil. Women prepare the ground for kolam making in the mornings, they maintain their task to keep the whole area in front of their house and up to the middle of the road free from plants and garbage. The thorough sweeping and splashing of water and cow dung keep growth under control, and makes the surface even. The cow dung liquid starts to sink into the soil immediately after it has been splashed out, and when the kolam designs are drawn, the rice flour attaches to the dampened ground. The flour soaks up some of the liquid, and the design becomes fixed to the soil by 11
the dung and water. The dampness makes
flour is sieved using a metal mesh and
the soil darker, and the contrast between
is stored for cooking purpose and the
this surface and the white flour makes the
rougher once are grounded down to a
image stand out. The clarity and brightness
consistency suitable for kolam.
of the kolam is thus enhanced by the
The ideal kolam mavu is not very fine
preparation of the ground.
and it should not have any moisture so that is dose not form clumps between
Preparation of the kolam mavu.( rice powder)
the fingers and flows evenly.
Rice Mavu is produced as a by-product of day to day activity of a south Indian household. Powdered rice in south Indian kitchen is a very common ingredient for south Indian cooking. Woman in south India grind the rice into flour depending upon there daily need on a manual grinder called Ural. During the grinding process the finest 12
Construction of the grid and lines. The grid for the kolam is made using the same rice mavu which is used for the final construction of the kolam. A dotted grid is constructed in basic geometric configuration it is usually a square or hexagon the no of dots vary depending on the size of the kolam to be made which can be any were from 5 to 600 depending on the size. The lines used for making the kolangal
“Some basic grids used for making of kolam “
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“A basic puli kolam based on a 14 dot configuration�
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can be straight lines or curved it is
Neli and Sikku Kolangal
usually constructed by connecting the
The stroke identified as Neli from a
lines around the dots of the grid and
snaky line. Whether the stroke has Knot
depth is added to it by increasing the
(Sikku) structure, it is a Sikku Kolam.
thickness of the lines depending upon the type of design to be made. Some time colours are also used which are created by adding natural substances to the mavu like for getting yellow mavu turmeric is added and for red mavu kumkumum (red vermilion) is added. There are varity of kolangal depending upon the way they are constructed on the grid.
Pulli Kolangal Joining the dots with lines to create the pattern. Forming of warped chains by linking one loop with the other . 15
“Snapshot from a kolam making competition during pongal festival �
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“Snapshot from a kolam making competition during pongal festival �
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“The hand gesture used for making the kolam�
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“A lady making kolam outside her house�
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Variety There are a few variety of kolams
the other special which is made during
depending upon various occasion and
festivities.
festival there are also certain types of kolams which are made for day to day purpose. All the kolangal follow the same technique in there construction some are more elaborate then other and more detailed and are made during special occasions and festivity while the less elaborate ones are made each morning as a ritual. In this section I have tried to explain the significance and the methodology of its construction of to kolangal, one which is usually made every day and 20
Nomenclature Traditionally the art of kolam making
both the ends from the second line of
is passed on from mother to daughter
the top and the bottom lines till the
and it is learnt by practicing it from
next 3 lines till you are left with one
an early age even though there are
dot. Final configuration looks like a
no specific names for the different
square balancing on one of its vertex as
kolams they are classified in terms
shown in the figure given below.
of the no of pulle or dots it has and
1
the various occasion it is made for. Like Vedu kolam, Kalyan kolam,Tulsi kolam etc which are made for home,
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wedding,temples etc respectively. Vedu kolam has many variations which is classified by remembering the no of dots it has. Like 7 by 1 dots which means 7 central dots in a linear fashion and then gradually reducing 1 dots in 21
This type of kolam is made every day in the morning and are popularly known as vedu kolam.
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The grid used for creating the kolam in the previous page
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Significance Social Making this kind of kolam outside the threshold of the house signifies presence of a feminine in the household and is also indicative that the house is prosperous ,healthy ,happy and wealthy.
Cultural This kind of kolams are made for non festive days and is relatively less detailed and easy to make
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This type of kolam is made for weddings popularly known as kalyan kolam.
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The grid used for creating the kolam in the previous page
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Significance Social Such kolam are either made out side the house were the wedding is happening or near the place were all the rituals for the wedding are planned this are large in size and are very detailed and is made in order to share the joy of the occasion with every one apart from this it also helps to keep away evil spirits which may ruin the occasion
Cultural This kind of kolams are made only during weddings, they are large in size and are very detailed and has a complex grid system. 27
Current Scenario For the last three decades, the most popular material for drawing kolam ,is an industrially made sparkling white stone powder. It is usually referred to as kolam powder, kolam maavu, The glitter is from a mineral, mica, which is added during the manufacturing process. When the sun shines, a kolam in this powder stands out from its surface far more than one in rice flour. The kolam maavu has several practical aspects. The grains have a size which facilitates a good flow. It is heavier than rice flour which gives more resistance to the wind and passers-by on the new concrete surfaces. It is less prone to float out as it does not mix as easily with water as rice flour does. The resulting image is thus clearer and more durable. Although it contradicts the ideal of giving food to small beings, the use of stone powder is not new. Many
poor families have practiced using limestone powder. For the application or making of the kolam there are quite a few options available in the market, the major alternatives are stencils and vinyl stickers, some families even prefer painting it with acrylic pants and the people who can afford inlay the patterns at the entrance on the marble flooring with various Colored stones.
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Stencils for kolam maavu.
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Glossary K
S
Kaavi - Red line drawn around a kolam Sikku - Knots to keep away evil spirit Kolam - a south Indian traditional floor art T Kolangal - Plural form of Kolam Tulsi - Holy plant of India
M Maavu - Powder
N Neli -Snake or vine like lines.
P Puli - Dots
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Bibliography Books And Papers
Websites and blogs
Doctoral dissertation ISBN 978-91-628-7701-9 ©Anna Laine University of Gothenburg School of Global Studies Social Anthropology
Indira Gandhi National Centre For Arts ignca.nic.in
Purifying the Earthly Body of God: Religion and Ecology in Hindu India Eassy no 11 The earth as godess bhu devi. Towards a theory of embedded ecologies in folk Hinduism
Individual Contribution
kolangal.kamalascorner.com www.cmi.ac.in/gift/Kolam.htm
Amudha Valli Mageshwari Prof S. Balaram J.Menon Chantal Jumel
Dr.Gift Siromoney Madras Christian college His publication on “kolam”
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Traditional Knowledge Documentation Kolam A visual culture of southern India By- Abhishu Roy D.J.Academy Of Design Coimbatore