Kolam is a form of art in which colored rangoli powders or rice flour are used to draw on the wet floor at the entrance of the house to create intricate patterns. Even today, most of the houses in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka follow this ritual.
Kolams are generally drawn by the females in the house before sunrise or early in the morning. The floor is first sprinkled with water. Then the pattern is drawn with or without dots and with or without the ‘kavi’ red lines; creating beautiful designs.
But, if you think that kolam infront of the house in just for beauty and aesthetics, hold on!
You are wrong… There is psychology,spirituality and science behind this ancient Indian tradition.
In olden days, people mixed cow dung in water and then sprinkled that water in the entrance of their house. Cow dung is a natural anti-infective and doing so keeps harmful germs away. Though people hardly use cow dung these days, people dilute either turmeric or salt in water before sprinkling. Both salt and turmeric are excellent anti-infectants and help in preventing the invisible germs and deleterious insects from entering the house. Spiritually, cow dung, salt and turmeric are all known to shield one from the negative energy.
Drawing a kolam involves a lot of concentration and is a very good way to train your mind to focus. Besides, drawing a kolam early in the morning during the Margazhi month(mid Dec-mid Jan) helps the females get maximum ozone exposure. This helps them stay fit. A colourful kolam is definitely a stress buster too to draw.
As per Hindu traditions, beautifully decorating a house with kolam is a way to invite Goddess Lakshmi into the house. It is believed that the Goddess of Wealth and Prosperity blesses a house with wealth which has appealing kolams drawn in its entrance.
Some people prefer drawing kolam with red kaavi lines around the white lines. Spiritually, these red lines are believed to bloack the negative energies from entering the house.
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